Avoiding Data Entry Errors in Online Enrollments

Recently, we’ve seen some rejections of online applications due to errors when entering a member’s Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI).

As we shared in a previous flash, this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services replaced Health Insurance Claim Numbers, which were based on Social Security numbers (SSNs), with the new MBIs, which are randomly generated.

Please note the new format of MBIs and take extra care when entering them into our online enrollment system. Data entered incorrectly could cause delays in application processing because we no longer have SSNs to cross-reference. The most common error has been using the letter O instead of a zero. The letter O is not used in MBIs.

MBI Format
• Characters 2, 5, 8, and 9 will always be a letter.
• Characters 1, 4, 7, 10, and 11 will always be a number.
• Characters 3 and 6 can be a letter or a number.

If you have any questions, please contact your client consultant.