Medicare Gets First Ombudsman
An independent health care consultant with a background in the public and private sectors has been appointed the Medicare program's first“ ombudsman.” The ombudsman will be a voice for beneficiaries within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Dan Schreiner was appointed ombudsman by CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., in March. The position of ombudsman was created as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.
Before assuming his new post, Schreiner was an independent health care policy consultant who worked as a health insurance specialist in the HIV/AIDS bureau of the Health Resources Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services. He also worked for the investment firm T. Rowe Price on participant services issues. Schreiner has a masters degree in health science in health policy management from Johns Hopkins University.
According to CMS, the ombudsman's role will be to ensure that the Medicare program does the following:
Handles complaints, grievances, and inquiries from beneficiaries about any aspect of the Medicare program. | |||||
Assists beneficiaries in collecting information necessary to file an appeal. | |||||
Helps beneficiaries with enrollment and disenrollment problems and premium-related issues. ▪ | |||||
