Which item must accompany the Medicare blue file at checkout?

• A. Insurance card
• B. Referral letter
• C. Superbill
• D. Prescription

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that billing documentation must precisely reflect what was done during the visit so the claim can be processed correctly. A superbill is the itemized record of the encounter, listing the exact services with the appropriate codes (CPT/HCPCS), the diagnosis codes, date of service, patient and provider information, and the charges. Medicare relies on these codes to adjudicate the claim and determine payment. Without the superbill, there’s no formal, codes-based record of what was performed to submit with the Medicare blue file.

The other items don’t provide the necessary billing detail: an insurance card confirms coverage but isn’t the claim itself; a referral letter is for directing care to a specialist and isn’t required for standard billing; a prescription documents medications but doesn’t describe the services provided.