Home Health & Hospice Week

Are you still having trouble getting your referring physicians to enroll in PECOS? You aren't alone, but some changes to the PECOS system may help your cause.

Speculation is widespread about whether CMS will stick to its July timeframe for PECOS edits. (The current informational edits for home health claims lacking a referring/ordering physician's PECOS-enrolled NPI are scheduled to become rejection edits this July.)

But home care providers can't afford to take chances and should be encouraging all their referring physicians to enroll in PECOS well ahead of time, experts advise. However, many docs have complained that the PECOS system is full of glitches and difficult to use.

Now CMS says it has made improvements to the system, including "an improved submission process, including simpler directions for signing up and a clearer process for follow-up; a tracking bar for the application process, indicating progress through the system; and a new application status module on the website" that will let physicians check where their application is with the contractor.

And providers now have 15 days to submit signed paperwork required to complete the enrollment process, CMS says in a message to providers.

Of course, home care providers can also use these features for their own enrollment applications.