How to Read Your Part A Medicare Summary Notice (full text)

17. You May Be Billed: This is the maximum amount the hospital or facility can bill you. It may include your deductible, coinsurance charges or any other charges that Medicare does not cover. If you have a Medicare supplemental insurance policy (also called Medigap), Medicare will send this claim information to your insurance company. Your Medigap policy should cover at least some of the costs not paid by Medicare.

18. See Notes Section: This column directs you to additional information about your claims. If there is a letter code in this column, refer to the Notes Section at the end of your statement.

19. Part B Medical Insurance — Outpatient Facility Claims: Any services or supplies received on an outpatient basis — whether in a hospital or, say, a renal dialysis center — appear in this section. For other Part B claims, see your Part B Medicare Summary Notice. (For help understanding your Part B MSN, use "AARP’s Part B Medicare Summary Notice Decoder.")

20. Claim Number: Each outpatient claim made to your Medicare account is assigned a claim number. For instance, a single doctor's visit has a claim number as would each dialysis treatment session.

21. Facility: This is the name and address of the facility that provided your outpatient treatment. If you did not receive treatment from this facility, contact the facility's billing office. If the billing office cannot resolve your concerns, contact your customer service company (see pop-up No. 4). If you still have concerns, call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).

22. Referred by: This is the name of the doctor who ordered the outpatient services.

23. Dates of Service: These are the dates you received outpatient services at the hospital or facility. If you did not receive services or supplies on these dates, contact the hospital or facility billing office. If the billing office cannot resolve your concerns, contact your customer service company (see pop-up No. 4). If you still have concerns, call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).

24. Services Provided: This is a brief description of the provided service. If you did not receive the service, contact the facility directly. It may be a simple mistake that the facility can easily correct. If the facility does not resolve your concerns, contact your customer service company (see pop-up No. 4). If you still have concerns, call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).

25. Billing Code: Medicare procedures and services are assigned billing codes. Compare this code with the code that appears on the billing statement you received from the facility. If the codes are different, contact the facility making the claim. It may be a simple mistake that the facility can easily correct. If the facility does not resolve your concerns, contact your customer service company (see pop-up No. 4). If you still have concerns, call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).