Medicare Nation

Hey Medicare Nation! How many of you have just found out your Doctor is leaving the Medicare Advantage Network you're in? I'm certain there are "Thousands of you." That is the #1 complaint I receive from clients, is that their "Doctor" is leaving or has left their Medicare Advantage Plan (MAPD) Network. Medicare has regulations about how a Medicare Advantage Organization (MAO) can "terminate" a Doctor contracted in their network and in reverse, there are regulations on how a Doctor can leave a MAO. There are also regulations on how a MAO publishes it's "Provider Directory" for their network. Chapter 4, Section 110.1.1 of the Medicare Managed Care Manual, titled, Provider Network Standards, lists in part....  "MAO's are required to establish and maintain provider networks that: ...... Are accurately reflected in up-to-date directories. Plans are responsible for verifying and regularly updating their network directories to ensure that providers included in the directories are available to their enrollees (ie, l