When filing a Medicare claim it has to be filed within one calendar year following the year that the services were provided for the claim.
This means, one year after you have the treatment for the health condition, you have to file a claim before that calendar year is up. For example, if you have made a physician’s visit on the month of March 2009, a Medicare claim can be filed before 31st December 2010.
Who Accepts and Denies Medicare?
The pharmacy that you use to fill the prescriptions will let you know whether or not they take Medicare. If they do not then you are responsible for paying the costs of the prescriptions. If your provider accepts Medicare then you are to pay all co pays and deductibles at the time of the visit, and they will file the claim for Medicare themselves. If your physician does not accept Medicare, then you should be notified that you are to pay the amount of the visit during the visit. The physician is then still required to file a claim on your behalf. Medicare can then reimburse your expenses directly to you. This cannot be done, however when a claim is not filed.
What to do When the Physician Does not File Your Medicare Claim on Time?
You will want to contact the physician that you go too, and ask them to file a Medicare claim. You will then need to contact Medicare by calling 1 800 Medicare. This is because if they physician does not file the claim, then you will need to contact this office to find out how you can file the claim yourself. You should only have to file a claim in rare instances, if the physician has not filed, or it is too close to the time frame to wait any longer on the claim. You should try to reach the physician before going ahead and filing the claim yourself, however since it involves less work on your behalf.
Filing a Medicare Claim Yourself?
Print out and complete the Patients Request for Medical Payment form or Form CMS 1490s. You can download the form. Print the form out, print the instruction sheet for the form, and review the information on the instructions on how to fill out and file the Medicare claim form.
You can have your medical information sent to someone other than you by requesting so in writing to the Medicare offices by filling out the 1 800 Medicare Authorization Disclose Personal Health Information form. You can also download this form right from the same site above.
