Though CMS has delayed PECOS enrollment until January 3, 2011, that is no comfort to the providers who have registered whose Medicare payments will likely be disrupted due to the millions of providers who are expected not to meet the enrollment deadline.
Enrollment in Medicare's Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) is mandatory for all Medicare providers, and failure to enroll by January 3, 2011 may result in Medicare claims being denied and/or delayed. PECOS enrollment is not in lieu of obtaining a national provider identifier (NPI) number, but rather in addition to it.
To ensure smooth Medicare cash flow, physician practices need to:
- Enroll in PECOS electronically via www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll;
- Generate a list of your top referring providers. If they aren't PECOS enrolled, you may not be paid when they refer you a Medicare patient; and
- Call and check PECOS system to confirm that your practice's top referral sources are enrolled, and if they are not, let them know.
If you have any questions, give us a call at 561-455-7700.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
With over 20 years of healthcare law experience following his experience as legal counsel for the Florida Medical Association, Mr. Cohen is board certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in healthcare law. With a strong background and expertise in transactional healthcare and corporate matters, particularly as they relate to physicians, Mr. Cohen's practice immerses him in regulatory, contract, corporate, compliance and employment related matters. As Founder of The Florida Healthcare Law Firm, he has distinguished himself and his firm for providing exceptional legal services with the right pricing, responsiveness and ethics.
