Segment File Accumulation Period

30.40.1 - Segment File Accumulation Period (Rev. 124, Issued: 05-17-19, Effective: 06-18-19, Implementation: 06-18-19 The term Medicare beneficiary identifier (Mbi) is a general term describing a beneficiary's Medicare identification number. For purposes of this manual, Medicare beneficiary identifier references both the Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) and the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) during the new Medicare card transition period and after for certain business areas that will continue to use the HICN as part of their processes. In order to facilitate the transfer of material to an approved offsite storage facility, MACs maintain the permanent claims records files in accumulation period segments, based on the starting date of initial payment or denial. Each contractor may select an accumulation period segment of from 6 months to 2 years in length after such starting date. The contractor may also adopt one period of time on an ongoing basis, but a different period for the initial segment. Contractors who have been authorized to microfilm/image claims records may be authorized to shorten the segment file accumulation period. (See §30.50.) After a file segment is closed, the contractor retains the records contained in that segment until time to transfer them to an approved storage facility. (See §§30.40.2 and 30.40.3 for definition of retention periods.) EXCEPTION: Contractors who maintain total history files by individual Medicare beneficiary identifier, name, or other sequence, may wish to operate under some procedure other than by a file segment accumulation period. Such alternative procedures may be used provided purging techniques to withdraw inactive records are established which meet one of the following requirements: 1. They avoid costly and time consuming manual selection of material to be purged from each folder. 2. Separators are used for each year's (or other period's) material within the history folder to facilitate rapid selection. 3. The capability exists (e.g., computer prepared lists) to identify inactive cases in which no action has been taken for 12 months or more for selection as purged segments to be transferred to an approved storage facility when such a purge becomes necessary. 4. Periods for purging and transfer are carefully selected by studying rates of reference to claims materials in order to select a realistic inactive period to avoid unnecessary recall from the storage facility. Although contractors who follow a purging procedure need not establish a standard retention period, the establishment of one of these requirements provides them with the potential of transferring inactive files to a storage facility if such a transfer should become desirable. When such a purge is begun, the contractor should make no transfer to the storage facility until the entire purging operation for the period is completed.