In January of 2011, those in our membership that have opted off of Medicare will (likely, but not definitely) need to fill out the form below in order to remain off Medicare but on PECOS.

Here’s the form you’ll need: CMS-855I

And a little about the new regulation and how to be in compliance:

Publication 100-2, Chapter 15, Section 40.13 of the Internet Only Manual (IOM) outlines the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) instructions with respect to physicians and non-physician practitioners who have never enrolled in the Medicare program. This section basically outlines that eligible physicians and non-physician practitioners are not required to “enroll” in the Medicare program, however, they must obtain a valid opt-out record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) [42 CFR § 424.507(b)(iii)]. Because of these requirements, individuals that have not submitted a Medicare Enrollment within the past 5 years, including thosewho are currently opted-out, need to submit their Medicare enrollment information even if only to remain opted-out of the program.  To view a detailed explanation of the historical and current can be found in the Federal Register: May 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 86) or by reviewing www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll and clicking on the “Provider Enrollment Regulation” tab on the left side.

Medicare providers and suppliers can find out information about their enrollments (or lack thereof) by contacting their Medicare Enrollment Contractor or viewing their information via Internet-Based PECOS. Contractor information can be found at the website mentioned above, by scrolling down to the bottom of the “Overview” page and clicking on “Medicare Fee-For-Service Contact Information”.   One of the best tools for the Medicare contractors in regards to information dissemination is their website.

In order to submit enrollment information, individuals can either choose to fill out the appropriate CMS-855 enrollment applications, or submit their information via Internet-Based PECOS. All of the information regarding Medicare enrollment can be found using the previously mentioned link. More specifically, all of the information pertaining to Internet-Based PECOS is separated out on its own page which can be found by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the overview page.