Medicare contractors recouping advanced COVID payments from clinicians with same taxpayer ID number

If your latest Medicare payment seems a little low, you might want to check in with the other members of your group practice.

Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) have begun recouping accelerated and advanced payments made during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has directed the MACs to recoup the money across "affiliated providers." 

“Affiliated providers” share the same taxpayer ID number, though they may have different provider transaction access numbers (PTANs). CMS has instructed the MACs to use the taxpayer ID number to get the recoupment of the advanced payment regardless of which PTAN received the payment. The MACs will offset 25% of the total remittance advice amount from each clinician with the same taxpayer ID as the clinician who received the payment. So if you are part of a group, you did not receive a payment, and you see a recoupment on your remittance advice, you may want to reach out to others in your group to determine which PTAN received the payment.

If you have any questions about the payment recoupments, you can contact the MAC that processes your Medicare claims. The contractor may have a frequently asked questions page or other helpful information on the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program.

— Kent Moore, Senior Strategist for Physician Payment, American Academy of Family Physicians