The Home Care Alliance joined agencies and organizations from across the country in submitting comments on the Interim Final Rule requiring physicians enroll in PECOS (Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System).
The Alliance submitted comments because the regulation change, although directly related to physicians, would prohibit home health agencies from submitting claims to Medicare for reimbursement if the physician was not enrolled in the online PECOS system.
Due to inquiry from federal elected officials, letters and comments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a notice clarifying that they will, “for the time being, not implement changes that would automatically reject claims based on orders, certifications, and referrals made by providers that have not yet had their applications approved by July 6, 2010.”
The notice continued that “While the regulation will be effective July 6, 2010, CMS will not implement automatic rejections of claims submitted by providers that have attempted to enroll in PECOS. However, until the automatic rejections are operational, providers should not see any change in the processing of submitted claims, they will continue to be reviewed and paid as they have historically been reviewed and paid.”
The Home Care Alliance’s comments call for a delay in the implantation of the regulation to October 1, 2010 and also to hold home health agencies and other Medicare part B providers harmless for claims submitted prior to that date for services ordered by physicians not listed in PECOS.
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