Psychiatric News May 6, 2005
Volume 40 Number 9
© 2005 American Psychiatric Association
p. 23
Medicare Gets First Ombudsman
Mark Moran
The new position helps ensure that beneficiaries understand and can
exercise their rights.
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.
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