CMS announced on Nov. 23 that it would delay implementation of new rules that give Medicare the authority to reject claims for services or supplies when the ordering physician or health care professional is not enrolled in the Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, or PECOS. The agency is delaying implementation of the new policy until April 5, 2010.
PECOS is a Medicare system that allows physicians to enroll, make a change in Medicare enrollment, view Medicare enrollment information on file with Medicare, and check the status of a Medicare enrollment application via the Internet. Touted as being 50% faster than paper, the new system will alert the applicant when a response is inadequate or unacceptable, thereby decreasing the possibility of a rejected application.
For both new AND existing Medicare providers, enroll in PECOS or check your enrollment status at https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov/pecos/login.do. For help using PECOS Web, call the CMS External User Services Help Desk toll-free at 866.484.8049 or via e-mail at [email protected].
at 10:44 am
Good Luck trying to reach anyone at the pecos cms website. The number you have listed has been busy every time of day possible and I have held for 45 and 60 minutes without success. As for email, I have now sent two on different days and have yet to get any response. I would like to know if anyone has any other suggestions. Maybe they can hire someone to field the calls!