The Medicare Advantage (MA) market is one of the most competitive landscapes in healthcare. Success and profitability often hinge on performance in the Medicare Stars Rating system, established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This five-star quality scale ranges from five stars (excellent) to one star [continue reading]
We recently uncovered another shift in the Social Security Administration’s Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). With 35 years of specialized experience in utilizing and analyzing the Death Master File (DMF), Berwyn has developed unmatched expertise in quickly identifying even the subtlest patterns and anomalies. The most recent change [continue reading]
The First Name That Wasn’t On paper, everything lined up: a Social Security number, a date of birth, even a location that matched one of our client’s participants. The only issue? The name in the obituary didn’t match the one in the client file. The obituary referred to the [continue reading]
In an era when government spending is under intense scrutiny, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (or “OBBBA”) is reshaping how Medicaid approaches program integrity. One of the least talked about tools maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Death Master File (DMF), will play a large role. [continue reading]
It Started with Almost Nothing Sometimes, the smallest clue is all we need to uncover the full story. In this case, our team located an obituary with just a name and general location – no age, no date of birth, no definitive identifiers. At first glance, it wasn’t enough [continue reading]
The Curveball During a routine death validation, one record stood out. The individual had several potential matches and incomplete data, with no confirmed date of death available through standard sources. While reviewing the obituary, the Berwyn Team of Experts spotted a comment mentioning the individual’s connection to Major League [continue reading]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) appears to have reversed a substantial and unprecedented addition of records to the Death Master File (DMF), highlighting the importance of expert interpretation in managing and understanding government datasets. Looking Back: DMF Experienced Significant Increase in April 2025 In early April 2025, the DMF saw [continue reading]
The Clue During a death validation review, our team encountered an obituary featuring a photo of the decedent on a Harley-Davidson. While the death record itself was plausible, we needed additional confirmation to confidently tie it to the correct individual—especially given multiple similar name matches. The Trail The photo [continue reading]
Background At The Berwyn Group, we often encounter near-identical records that challenge even the most sophisticated death audit processes. One recurring challenge is distinguishing between twins who share not only birthdates, but also strikingly similar names and life histories. Recently, our team encountered several such cases where death records [continue reading]
At first glance death audit service providers seem similar, but there are crucial differences that can significantly impact the integrity of your data, the longevity of your plan, and the delivery of life-saving benefits to participants and their families. Choosing the wrong provider doesn’t just risk inefficiencies—it can directly [continue reading]
