14045. (Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 179, Sec. 246.)

(a) A provider shall not submit a reimbursement request to the Medi-Cal program containing a beneficiary’s social security number if the department has issued that beneficiary a Medi-Cal beneficiary identification card containing a beneficiary number with the issuance date included in that number.

(b) This section shall not apply to the submission of a request by a provider for beneficiary eligibility.

(c) In order to reduce medical fraud and the black market for stolen social security cards, the State Department of Health Care Services may establish an automated HIPAA-compliant system using HIPAA transactions whereby all providers can access a beneficiary’s identification card number for submitting reimbursement requests.