Enroll in Railroad Medicare
The first step in becoming a Railroad Medicare provider is to request and receive a Railroad Medicare Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN). You will need a separate PTAN for Railroad Medicare because we are a different jurisdiction from your local Part B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). Watch a one-minute video for an overview of the provider enrollment process and then please complete a brief survey.
Who Can Become a Railroad Medicare Provider?
Once you have enrolled in Medicare Part B, you are eligible to render services for a Railroad Medicare beneficiary, but you must request and be assigned a Railroad Medicare PTAN before we can process your claims. Palmetto GBA will verify the enrollment information on file with your Part B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and create a corresponding Railroad Medicare enrollment file.
The effective date of your Railroad Medicare PTAN will be retroactive to the effective date of your Part B Medicare PTAN.
How Do I Become a Railroad Medicare Provider?
Fastest Method
When you've provided a service to a Railroad Medicare patient and are ready to submit your claim, request a PTAN using the Railroad Medicare PTAN Lookup and Request Tool.
Note: Paper claim submitters have the option of submitting a CMS-1500 (02/12) claim form to start the PTAN request process.
What to Expect
Please allow up to 30 days processing time for your new Railroad Medicare PTAN request. You can check the status of your request in the PTAN Lookup and Request Tool and when the PTAN is assigned, you can download a PDF file with your new PTAN details. We will also mail an enrollment confirmation letter when the PTAN is assigned.
Next Steps
Once you receive your Railroad Medicare PTAN, your next step is to enroll to bill electronic claim submissions with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).