You may know that, every year, we share what’s new in the Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines (MCMG). Besides their new name, what’s changing with this set of compliance rules for 2022?
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In recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updates to the current MCMG via a memo, but there are some changes being made to how the guidelines are presented and distributed. This year, we don’t expect to receive a separate memo with revisions, but the team at Ritter is always staying up to date on current changes. If and when we receive new information, you can count on us to report it!
The MCMG Have a New Name
In an effort to keep our agents in the loop, we want you to know we don’t expect the guidelines we’ve referred to as the MCMG to be updated in the same fashion. Instead, we’ll begin referring to them as their codified labels — the Medicare Advantage Communication Requirements and Medicare Part D Communication Requirements, which we’ll collectively call the Medicare Advantage & Part D Communication Requirements.
The Medicare Advantage & Part D Communication Requirements Are Now Codified
You can now find the Medicare Advantage and Part D Communication Requirements on the Federal Register site rather than CMS.gov. The requirements are now codified, which means that the requirements are organized in a nested, methodical layout, i.e., titles, chapters, subchapters, etc. The Federal Register explains as such: “Codifying the rules does not change their meaning or legal effect, it simply creates an organizational structure for the rules and allows readers to see the complete text of an effective rule without having to refer back to various issues of the Federal Register.”
The Federal Register has redone their site so it’s relatively easy for agents to navigate! It’s categorized by title, chapter, subchapter, parts, subparts, and so on as we mentioned above. The Federal Register existed long prior to the Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines, so you’ll find even more information there regarding codified government rules.
Medicare Advantage Communication Requirements
You can find the Medicare Advantage Communication Requirements here, under Title 42, Chapter IV, Subchapter B, Part 422, Subpart V. On this page, you will see a layout of the MA requirements and definitions. Hovering over the small grey boxes allows you to copy the citation or URL. There are also hyperlinks within the guidelines to take you the exact information you’re looking for. We suggest using the Search tool in the left-hand navigation menu or CTRL + F to search for specific terms within the guidelines.
Medicare Part D Communication Requirements
On the Federal Register site, you will also find communication requirements for Medicare Part D under Title 42, Chapter IV, Subchapter B, Part 423, Subpart V. The Part D requirements are set up on the site very similarly to the MA requirements.
Empowering Agents
Because the organization of the Federal Register site is so straightforward, we hope you’ll feel empowered to navigate it to find the answers you need. We encourage you to become familiar with the site’s layout and the information that can be found in each category. The site’s Table of Contents is a great place to find overarching categories when you’re not quite sure where to find specific information. You can also use the Timeline tool by clicking Recent Changes at the top of the page to show you the updates in chronological order. We will be keeping tabs on the Recent Changes as well so we can keep our agents posted on any changes.
The Ritter team is always available to help you! For any compliance-related inquiries, please email [email protected].
Compliance requirements are very important for agents to follow! Familiarizing yourself with the Medicare Advantage & Part D Communication Requirements and knowing where to go to for the right information can help guide you to success.
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