You can help your Medicare patients avoid prescription drug plan scams by giving them "Quick Facts About Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and Protecting Your Personal Information," (PDF file: 2 pages/377 KB. More about PDFs.) a new CMS publication that describes how to prevent identity theft and fraud as patients select a Medicare drug plan.
The fact sheet advises Medicare beneficiaries that marketers can:
Protect Your Patients From Medicare Drug Scams
By News Staff
10/13/2005
- call patients to market their prescription drug plan but cannot go to patients' homes uninvited;
- enroll patients over the telephone only if the patient initiated the call or are adding prescription drug coverage to a plan they already have; and
- bill for coverage only through the mail, not by telephone or the Internet.
The material also lists resources for help and contacts if patients think someone is misusing their personal information.
The fact sheet is part of a CMS effort to prevent fraud against Medicare patients at a time when they are enrolling in prescription drug plans. On Sept. 30, CMS published a list of companies with approved Medicare Part D contracts. The companies began marketing their prescription drug plans on Oct. 1, and Medicare patients will begin enrolling on Nov. 15. Coverage begins Jan. 1.
The fact sheet is part of a CMS effort to prevent fraud against Medicare patients at a time when they are enrolling in prescription drug plans. On Sept. 30, CMS published a list of companies with approved Medicare Part D contracts. The companies began marketing their prescription drug plans on Oct. 1, and Medicare patients will begin enrolling on Nov. 15. Coverage begins Jan. 1.
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