Cutting the clutter – the newly designed Medicare Summary Notice

It’s a whole lot easier to read and understand your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), thanks to a recently completed redesign. You’ll see a brand new format when you check your MSN at MyMedicare.gov.

MyMedicare.gov gives you faster access to your Medicare claims information—you can check it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Customize your MSN to see procedures broken down by single claim, or by a time period you choose, and print out your own statement anytime. Reviewing your MSN online means a shorter wait to see what you were charged for health care services, medical supplies or equipment, and how much Medicare paid.

We want the MSN to be something that makes it easier for you to find and understand your Medicare claims information.  We spent more than a year improving it. We did one-one-one interviews and focus groups with people like you, and used their feedback to improve the design and language.

As a recent joint Kaiser Health News / Washington Post article pointed out, we’ve also redesigned the MSN to make it easier for you to help us prevent fraud and find billing errors. Did you know you could get a reward of up to $1,000 for a tip that leads to uncovering fraud? Remember, you’re our best defense against fraud, so check your MSN for services or items you didn’t get.

Here are some of the improvements you’ll see in your new MSN:

•          Larger text size and wider spacing to make reading easier
•          Plain, concise language you can understand quickly
•          A “snapshot” of
  •    how much of your Part A or Part B deductible you’ve paid so far this year
  •    the providers you saw during the reporting period
  •    whether Medicare approved all your claims
•          Brief descriptions of your medical procedures
•          Easy-to-understand definitions for terms you might not know
•          A checklist to help you make sure you’re getting the most from your Medicare
•          Information on how to report fraud, preventive medical services, and important Medicare reminders
•          Easy instructions for how to file an appeal

You’ll start seeing these changes in early 2013 in the mailed copy of your MSN, but why wait? Visit MyMedicare.gov and start using the newly redesigned MSN online today.