Major Improvements to the Internet-based PECOS System * Over the last year, we have listened to your feedback about Internet-based PECOS. CMS has made improvements to increase access to more information. PECOS is easier to use than ever with the following upgrades that are now available:
* Providers/suppliers can now submit their entire enrollment application including supporting documentation electronically with the new digital document feature. Providers/suppliers are no longer required to physically mail copies of their supporting documentation to the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). Please refer to the "Digital Documents Repository How to Guide<http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/Downloads/DigitalDocumentRepository-HowToGuide.pdf>" on the CMS website. * Individual providers that reassign benefits to Individuals/Organizations with multiple practice locations will be able to designate a primary and secondary practice location where services are rendered. Selecting a primary and secondary practice location does not restrict the provider from providing services at other practice locations associated with the Individual/Organization to which they are reassigning benefits. It is recommended that a primary and secondary practice location be specified, but it is not required. * Providers/suppliers will now be able to enter multiple contact persons in the Contact Information section and will have the ability to identify the contact's relationship to the Provider/Supplier. While Internet-based PECOS requires at least one contact person to be entered in this section, additional contacts and the relationship to the provider field are optional. * At least one managing employee will now be required when submitting a CMS 855A, CMS 855B and CMS 855S enrollment application. Applications that do not include at least one managing employee will receive an error message in Internet-based PECOS under the Error/Warning Check tab and will not be able to proceed with submitting the enrollment application. Internet-based PECOS will also recommend that at least one owner is entered for a CMS 855A, CMS 855B and CMS 855S application. Applications that do not include at least one owner will receive a warning message under the Error/Warning Check tab in Internet-based PECOS. This warning message will not prevent the user from submitting the enrollment application. * Providers/suppliers will now have the option to select "County" in the "Geographic Location" topic when identifying the Geographic Location where services are rendered for CMS 855A and CMS 855B enrollment applications. Prior to this feature the only available options were State, City, or Zip Code. When selected, Internet-based PECOS will populate the county field with all counties that exist within the enrollment state identified for the application. * The CMS 855O paper application, used to enroll in Medicare solely to order and refer services, has been redesigned and those changes are reflected in Internet-based PECOS. As a reminder, providers that are currently enrolled in Medicare and are of a specialty that is eligible to order and refer already have the ability to order and refer services and therefore are not required to submit a separate CMS 855O enrollment application solely to order and refer services. To access internet-based PECOS, go to the PECOS<https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov/pecos/login.do> website. ________________________________ *This message will be included in the August 15, 2012 edition of the CMS Medicare FFS Provider e-News<https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/FFSProvPartProg/Provider-Partnership-Email-Archive.html>. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/downloads//MailingLists_FactSheet.pdf<http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/downloads/MailingLists_FactSheet.pdf> and select the appropriate listserv to subscribe. If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/ContactCMS/index.html). Thank you.
