government
Medicare upgrades Web-based physician enrollment
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 27, 2012
The online application system physician practices use for Medicare enrollment has been updated with new capabilities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.
The Medicare agency's upgrades will reduce data entry and increase access to account information, CMS said. Using the online Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System is faster than filing applications by mail. The Web-based application can be processed in 45 days, while paper enrollment forms take 60 days.
PECOS now allows users to certify applications with an electronic signature, CMS said. This eliminates a requirement to print and sign a certification statement that needs to be mailed to a Medicare contractor in order to complete processing.
Physicians also can log in to see if a contractor has issued a revalidation request. CMS has started a massive project requiring nearly all doctors and health professionals to re-enroll in the Medicare program by 2015.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/02/27/gvbf0227.htm.
