Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Plus: Payment cuts are poised to impact Part B therapy claims.

If you're one of the people still trying to access CMS's Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS), you'll be out of luck between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3. CMS intends to perform scheduled maintenance on the site during that period, which CMS is referring to as "PECOS Dark Days."

If you need to enroll in the PECOS system or make a change to your Medicare enrollment record, you should log on before Sept. 29 or after Oct. 3, CMS noted in a Sept. 16 statement. Alternately, you can submit a CMS-855 form with any required supporting documentation to your MAC.

Keep in mind: CMS warns practices to avoid letting Medicare fraudsters steal your Medicare identity and ruin your billing and compliance record with bogus claims. Next time you're in the ECOS system, check that all enrollments listed in the system were submitted by you, CMS instructs in a new fact sheet. Step-by-step instructions for safeguarding your Medicare identity via PECOS are in the sheet at www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MedEnroll_ProtID_FactSheet_ICN905103.pdf.

"It is important that you protect your Medicare identity from getting into the hands of dishonest and unscrupulous people -- personal identity thieves and those intending to commit fraud in the Medicare Program," CMS says.