Chicago — (December 4, 2008) 

Now there’s a better way for physicians and non-physician practitioners to enroll or make a change in their Medicare enrollment information.  The Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) will allow physicians and non-physician practitioners to enroll, make a change in their Medicare enrollment, view their Medicare enrollment information on file with Medicare, and check on the status of a Medicare enrollment application via the Internet.

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Internet-based PECOS is available to physicians and non-physician practitioners in District of Columbia and the following States:

• Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsyvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin
  

Physicians and non-physician practitioners in the District of Columbia and the States shown above who wish to access Internet-based PECOS may go to https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov.

CMS will expand the availability of Internet-based PECOS for physicians and non-physician practitioners to all States over the next 2 months.  In addition, CMS will make Internet-based PECOS available next year to all providers and suppliers (except durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers).

Fast

By submitting the initial Medicare enrollment application through Internet-based PECOS, a physician or non-physician practitioner’s enrollment application can be processed as much as 50 percent faster than by paper.  This means that it will take less time to enroll.

Physicians and non-physician practitioners are required by regulation to report certain changes in their enrollment information within specified timeframes.  Internet-based PECOS will allow them to update, make corrections, and check on the status of their Medicare enrollment applications —again, as much as 50 percent faster than by paper.  Changes include a change in practice location, ownership, or final adverse action (e.g., medical license suspension or revocation.)  For additional information about the types of changes that must be reported, go to the download section of www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.

Secure

Internet-based PECOS meets all required Government security standards in terms of data entry, data transmission, and the electronic storage of Medicare enrollment information.  Only authorized individuals can enter enrollment information into PECOS or view PECOS data from the Internet.  Authorized individuals include physicians and non-physician practitioners.  Their User IDs and passwords protect the access to their enrollment information. After physicians or non-physician practitioners create User IDs and passwords or change their passwords, they should keep this information secure and not share it with anyone. By safeguarding their User IDs and passwords, they are taking an important step in protecting their enrollment information. CMS does not disclose Medicare enrollment information to anyone except when we are authorized or required to do so by law.

Easy

Internet-based PECOS is a scenario-driven application process with front-end editing capabilities and built-in help screens. The scenario-driven application process will ensure that physicians and non-physician practitioners complete and submit only the information necessary to enroll or make a change in their Medicare enrollment record.  In contrast to the information collected on the CMS-855I, physicians and non-physician practitioners will no longer see questions that are not applicable to their enrollment scenarios when using Internet-based PECOS.

Additional Information

For information about Internet-based PECOS, including important information that physicians and non-physician practitioners should know before submitting a Medicare enrollment application via Internet-based PECOS, go here.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists Web site at www.asahq.org. For patient information, visit LifeLineToModernMedicine.com

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