[SheilaS]

I was listening to the Medicare open door forum on the 14th and I swear I heard them say PECOS was delayed for DMEPOS until July 5th, 2011, but I haven't seen anything in writing. Did anyone else hear this or know different. Thanks

[DeeDee]

Sheila,

They did mention it; however, there has been no decision made. As of this time, all suppliers were advised to continue operating with the January deadline.

[leejgbt]

This is the update that you probably heard:

Home Health Receives PECOS Delay, But No Reprieve for HME, Yet
The Association is working on behalf of HMEs to secure a longer delay for enforcement of the Provider Enrollment and Chain Ownership System (PECOS) deadline to match the delay for home health agencies. Last week, CMS announced that home health claims prescribed by a non-PECOS enrolled physician would be delayed until July 5, 2011 for home health agencies. The differing deadlines for home health and HME are odd since physicians who refer for home health also refer for HME.
AAHomecare members continue to find that about 18 to 25 percent of physicians ordering HME are not yet enrolled in PECOS. We have also identified a new twist to the issue where a physician will inexplicable drop off from the PECOS database only to reappear on a subsequent list. AAHomecare has alerted CMS of these issues.
Also, the Association revived a coalition of physician as well as non-physician groups, including the American Medical Association, to work together to press for a lengthier delay. AAHomecare will be sending a formal letter to CMS requesting a delay equal to that of home health.
Please let AAHomecare know what percentage of your physicians are not yet enrolled in PECOS. Send the information Stacey Harms at staceyh@aahomecare.org.