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When Doctors Opt Out Of Medicare

September 30th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
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I opted out of Medicare several years ago. This means I don’t see Medicare patients other than in the emergency room when I’m on unassigned call. I don’t submit bills to Medicare or to those patients. I just let it slide.

Last Wednesday I received the following letter from a large radiology group in my home town:

September 2010

RE:  PECOS Enrollment

To our referring physicians and their office managers:

At __________we have begun a project to identify ordering physicians who are not enrolled in Medicare’s Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).  Our purpose is to remind physicians of the importance of enrollment to them and to us.

Beginning in January, 2011 those providers filing Medicare claims listing an NPI number on the claim of an unenrolled provider will have their claims denied.  This would apply to any claim you send in and to any claim we submit for services provided to your patients because we are required to list your NPI number on our claims.  This applies both to patients referred to our private offices and the hospitals where we provide radiology professional interpretations or services.

So, you can see our effort is not purely altruistic.  We have a financial interest in reminding you of the importance of PECOS enrollment.  In trying to ascertain whether you are enrolled, we are using an online program you can find at www.oandp.com/pecos.  Simply enter your NPI number in the entry block and press enter.  If you enter a valid NPI number, your name will appear and beside it will be a symbol indicating where Medicare recognizes your PECOS enrollment.

Since Medicare is continually updating the files, we may have accessed the system before your enrollment was completed.  We will continue to monitor the situation in hopes you will enroll if you intend to continue seeing Medicare patients.  If you have already enrolled or have no plans to enroll, please excuse our intrusion.

Sincerely,

This bothers me. It is not likely that I will be sending them any patients from my office, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional patient with my name on their chart in the ER. If I need to take a Medicare patient to the operating room from the ER, will the hospital not get paid? Will the anesthesiologist not get paid?

Will my non-participation in Medicare affect my fellow healthcare providers receiving payment? If so, that is just not right. I voiced this concern to Senator Blanche Lincoln shortly after receiving this letter. She agrees with me. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*

PECOS: A Back Door Way To Force All Physicians To Accept Medicare?

December 9th, 2009 by SteveSimmonsMD in Primary Care Wednesdays
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This upcoming January 4, 2010 will prove an important date for any physician who prescribes durable medical equipment for their patients to use in the home.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have implemented an internet-based enrollment process for Medicare termed PECOS, another progeny of the 1996 HIPAA legislation.  PECOS stands for Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System and was created in large part to prevent fraud.  Yet when I called the PECOS helpline, fraud was not a concern, and it was explained to me that PECOS is an internet version of my Medicare Application.

Since my practice makes house calls, we treat a variety of home-bound patients unable to make it to a doctor’s office without great effort.  We care for stroke patients, quadriplegics, those with end-stage pulmonary disease, and many simply weakened by the effects of advanced age.  Most need equipment like mattresses to prevent recurrent pressure sores, wheelchairs, nebulizer machines, or oxygen.  A patient depends on their physician’s ability to order anything necessary, and it is imperative this be done without creating an exorbitant financial burden or by denying them a Medicare benefit already paid for. But, according to our Home Supplier, if we haven’t enrolled by January 4 then our Medicare & Medicaid patients will have to pay 100% of the cost for any equipment prescribed. Read more »