Enrolling in PECOS
On January 3, 2011 Medicare will discontinue paying claims for physicians if both the physician and referring provider are not enrolled in PECOS (Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System). It is important to understand that enrollment in PECOS is a separate process from traditional Medicare enrollment. Although enrolled in Medicare, many physicians are not enrolled in PECOS.
In an effort to be proactive, PSA is processing PECOS updates for our billing clients which will ensure affiliated practices are ready well in advance of the January 3, 2011 deadline. At present, claims are being processed normally, however, PSA has begun receiving warning messages indicating that many of the referring physicians are not enrolled in PECOS or otherwise not found in the carrier's claim systems. PSA will continue to provide clients with a listing of referring physicians for which we receive these warning messages.
Medicare will stop paying claims for these referring physicians if they do not enroll in Medicare or update their status in the claims system by January 3, 2011.
In order to assist affiliated practices in educating their referral sources, PSA has developed a handout for billing clients which can be personalized with your practice's logo and contact information. We encourage practices to distribute this information to referring physicians to educate them on PECOS and the importance of registration. PSA clients can contact their billing office to recieve a copy of this letter.