Home Health & Hospice Week

You can't use your own NPI in the physician field starting this fall. You could see your cash flow fall into serious jeopardy starting in the new year if you have referring physicians who aren't enrolled in Medicare's PECOS system. That's because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is subjecting home health agency claims to the same Medicare Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) edits that durable medical equipment claims are currently undergoing, as required in the Patient Pro-tection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The requirement is in the Social Security Act, CMS says in April 28 Transmittal No. 677 (CR 6856). The edits will "verify the attending physician provider on an HHA claim is eligible and is enrolled and active in the Medicare program's Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS)," the transmittal says. "This means providers who are enrolled in the Medicare program must be in [...]