New List Identifies Physicians with Pending PECOS Applications
A new PECOS list posted by CMS eliminates almost all of the guesswork when it comes to checking on the status of enrolling physicians. As of July 12, 2010, suppliers can now check to see whether their physicians’ applications are pending contractor review.
CMS has posted two new lists to the Medicare Provider and Supplier Enrollment section of their website:
- Initial Physician Applications Pending Contractor Review [ZIP, 719KB]
- Initial Non Physician Applications Pending Contractor Review [ZIP, 91KB]
ClaraVista’s Maureen Bacon was able to confirm with CMS that the lists are exactly as the titles imply; they include the names and NPIs of those physicians and non-physician practitioners whose PECOS applications have been submitted for review.
The publication of these lists follows a recent series of positive breaks for DME suppliers, who are now able to easily identify PECOS enrolled physicians via a frequently updated .csv data file (for more information see CMS Updates CSV PECOS List More Frequently; Twice per Week). Rather than calling a physician’s office directly, suppliers now have an alternate resource to confirm whether a physician has at least submitted their PECOS or CMS-855 enrollment application.
As applications are processed, physicians will be removed from the pending review list and added to the Medicare Ordering and Referring File, which was also updated on July 12, 2010. We expect the two review lists will be updated with the enrollment file simultaneously. As of late, the .csv file is being updated twice per week. You may download the latest version of all three lists by visiting:
http://www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/06_MedicareOrderingandReferring.asp.
We recommend suppliers note the date a physician first appears on the pending review list. If a particular physician’s name remains on the list for an extended period of time, it may be a sign that their Certification Statement has not yet been submitted. At the end of the online enrollment process, physicians are required to print, sign and mail in a paper Certification Statement, and contractors will not process a PECOS application until that statement is received. For physicians whose applications linger on as pending, a phone call may be warranted to confirm whether their Certification Statement was mailed in.
With the establishment of the July 6th physician enrollment deadline, a recent surge in applications may have contributed to processing back-logs for some contractors.
Tags: DME Consulting, DME PECOS, Medicare PECOS, MiraVista, PECOS, PECOS Database, PECOS Edits, PECOS physician enrollment, PECOS Physician list