CMS Manual System: Pub. 100-04 Medicare Claims Processing
The CMS is in the process of consolidating the claims crossover function under one contractor, the Medicare Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC). Under the new process, Medicare contractors will no longer execute Agreements and receive eligibility files from coordination of benefits (COB) trading partners. The trading partners will now execute national Coordination of Benefit Agreements (COBAs) with and send COB eligibility files to the COBC. Upon execution of a national COBA, each COB trading partner will be assigned a unique 5-digit COBA ID. Claim-based trading partners will also be assigned unique 5-digit COBA IDs. For eligibility file-based crossover, each COBA ID, together with all other eligibility file data elements, will be stored on the Common Working File (CWF) in the recently established Beneficiary Other Insurance (BOI) auxiliary file.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: February 06, 2004
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