The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) of Missouri Fraud Fact for May focuses on the importance of keeping accurate medical records.
One of the most important habits to keep your Medicare account safe from fraud is to keep track of your medical visits and procedures. Doing so also helps your visits go more smoothly.
To help you keep a record of these, the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) of Missouri offers a free Health Care Tracker to beneficiaries. Using a Health Care Tracker can help you make sure the health care services, tests, and/or medical equipment items you receive are listed correctly on your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB). You will receive an MSN if you have original Medicare and an EOB if you have a Medicare Advantage plan.
Keeping a Health Care Tracker protects you and your health care benefits from fraud, errors, and abuse. Using the tracker may reduce the amount you owe and help prevent your medical identity from being stolen.
The tracker also provides a place where you can record physicians’ and procedure appointments. You can record the date, length of visit, medical provider, and reason for the visit.
There are spaces to write the names of the tests such as X-rays, blood drawn, urine testing, and ultrasound; checked weight, height, and blood pressure; and prescribed medicine and ordered equipment.
Then, once you receive your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB), compare the information, and you can check to make sure that Medicare or your Advantage plan was billed according to the information in your Health Care Tracker.
Contact your provider or local Senior Medicare Patrol office if you need help comparing your completed tracker with your MSN or EOB, if you find discrepancies, or if you were billed twice for the same visit, test, equipment, or prescription.
You can get your free Health Care Tracker by calling (888) 515-6565.
 As always, if you suspect you are the victim of Medicare fraud or abuse, call the Missouri Senior Medicare Patrol at (888) 515-6565.
This project was supported, in part, by grant number 90MPPG0040, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.