About Medicare
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for individuals 65 and older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease. Medicare is divided into four parts: Part A (hospital insurance), Part B (medical insurance), Part C (Medicare Advantage), and Part D (prescription drug coverage). Medicare is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and processed through Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) by region.
How fast does Medicare pay?
Medicare Part B pays clean claims within 14 calendar days if submitted electronically (29 days for paper claims) under the "clean claim" standard. In practice, many claims require additional review and can take 30 to 60 days. Medicare Advantage follows private plan timelines of up to 30 days for clean claims.
Common denial and billing issues.
- LCD (Local Coverage Determination) medical necessity not met
- ABN (Advance Beneficiary Notice) not obtained before performing non-covered service
- Correct HCPCS code not used for Medicare-specific services
- Secondary billing required when Medicare is not primary
- Timely filing violation (one year from date of service)
- Incomplete or incorrect ICD-10 coding for diagnosis requirements
- PQRS and quality reporting requirements not met
- Authorization not obtained for Medicare Advantage plans
Prior authorization requirements.
Traditional Medicare (Parts A and B) does not require prior authorization for most outpatient services. However, Medicare Advantage plans require authorization for a broad range of services. Authorization requirements for Medicare Advantage plans vary significantly by plan and are often more extensive than traditional Medicare.
How Copay works with Medicare.
Medicare fee-for-service (Parts A and B) claims are eligible for Copay purchase where state regulations permit. Medicare Advantage claims are evaluated separately using plan-specific reimbursement data. Medicare's 14-day payment standard is the fastest of any major payor, but Copay still accelerates payment to the next business day.
Stop waiting on Medicare.
Eligible claims are purchased and funded the next business day.