New Medicaid ID cards, with a new Medicaid number that starts with 530, will be effective on August 1, 2021. According to Alabama Medicaid, patients should present both Medicaid cards to providers.
Guidelines from Alabama Medicaid to assist with eligibility verification/claims submission during this transition:
- All information for the previous Medicaid ID and the new Medicaid ID are being combined to allow providers to use either the previous card or new card for eligibility verification and claims submission. When the merging process occurs, all eligibility, Prior Authorizations (PAs), and claims history will be combined and transferred to the new ID. However, due to the large amount of SSI certified recipients affected, this process may not be completed until Labor Day, September 6, 2021.
- Before all Medicaid IDs are combined, providers must use the new Medicaid ID (beginning with “530”) when checking current eligibility and submitting claims for any recipient whose ID has not been merged by August 1. If the data has not been transferred to the new number yet, the provider may need to ask for the old “500” eligibility number to verify eligibility for previous months.
- During check-in, it is encouraged to ask recipients if they have received a new Medicaid ID card, and whether they have more than one Medicaid number.
- Providers may use the eligibility verification function in the Provider Web Portal, Provider Electronic Solutions (PES) or the Automated Voice Response System (AVRS) to determine whether a recipient’s Medicaid IDs have been combined. ***REMINDER: You can also check eligibility within MediSYS!
- If a patient does not have an ID card with their new “530” number, log into the Provider Web Portal, PES or AVRS and enter the card number the patient presented. Eligibility verification will return the new Medicaid ID if the IDs have been combined. If the IDs have not been combined, the “530” number will not be displayed. Please contact the Provider Assistance Center for guidance at 1-800-688-7989.