In December 2015, Medicare updated their PECOS Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet to help make the Medicare enrollment process more transparent for providers. PECOS, or the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, is Medicare’s electronic enrollment system. PECOS allows providers and suppliers to submit, update, and monitor enrollment and revalidation information electronically.
But just because a provider or supplier is enrolled in Medicare doesn’t mean they have an enrollment record in PECOS. Only providers who have enrolled or submitted a Medicare application to report changes to their enrollment information since 2003 are in PECOS.
Whether you already are a PECOS user or are wondering why you should be, here are a few other things to know about PECOS.
What You Can Do in PECOS
Accessing PECOS allows you to take care of several important enrollment tasks electronically, including the following: submitting Medicare enrollment applications; viewing and printing enrollment information; updating enrollment information; completing the enrollment revalidation process; voluntarily withdrawing from the Medicare Program; and tracking the status of a submitted Medicare enrollment application.
However there are a few things you can’t do on PECOS. Those include changing your SSN; changing a provider’s or supplier’s TIN; changing an existing business structure; or reassigning benefits to another provider if that provider is not enrolled in PECOS. All of these tasks must be done with the CMS-855 paper application.
PECOS vs Paper
Speaking of paper, you can still use paper forms for any Medicare enrollment taks. You are not required to use PECOS. However, because PECOS is online, it will allow you to monitor the enrollment process, verify the information you have submitted, and easily revalidate and update enrollment information without submitting a whole new paper application.
Getting Started
Enrolling in PECOS for the first time requires you to submit several important data items, similar to the information needed for the enrollment application itself. This video walks you through the simple steps of getting set up in PECOS. For more information, visit the PECOS home page which provides links to several helpful resources. Also, be sure to review the recently updated PECOS FAQ Fact Sheet.
You can also contact the CIPROMS Provider Enrollment Team with questions about using PECOS specifically and Medicare Enrollment in general.
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