In the 1960s, the CMS-1500 form was developed originally for the purpose of standardizing the submission of claims sent in for payment of government benefits. In 2006, the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) released a revision of the CMS-1500 form.It was to be used as of July 2, 2007; and is still in use today. The use of this standard form has helped streamline claims submissions for medical offices and claims processing for insurance companies.

An example of a CMS-1500 form can be retrieved from theNational Uniform Claim Committee.

1. Identify the necessary steps followed to properly complete a CMS-1500 form.

2. Provide at least two examples of procedures that must be taken by a medical administrative assistant when completing a paper CMS-1500 claim form for optical character recognition (OCR)?

3. Select one type of health insurance plan (fee-for-service, HMO, PPO, Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, CHAMPVA, Workers' Compensation, and private health insurance). Discuss the eligibility, requirements, benefits and limitations of the chosen plan.