Medicare Providers: Compulsory Revalidation Period Extended to 2015

Mon April 30, 2012

As required by the Affordable Care Act, CMS began a revalidation program for Medicare providers on August 10, 2011.

Until March 2015, Medicare Carriers and Contractors will be sending out notices on a regular basis to all their providers who enrolled in Medicare prior to March 25, 2011 These notices, which are being sent in bright yellow envelopes so you can’t miss them, explain that you are required to revalidate your enrollment information that resides in the Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) and give you a deadline for when this needs to be accomplished. 

Note:  Do not to attempt to revalidate you enrollment until after you receive the notice, but when you receive the notice you must revalidate within the timeframe provided. Any changes to your Medicare enrollment that occur before you receive your revalidation notice should continue to be made as they always have.  The revalidation process is separate from any enrollment updates.

Your revalidation will be most easily accomplished using the Internet-based PECOS

.  We are told that once you log into the PECOS site there is a fast-track view tab that allows you  to review all the information Medicare currently has on file for you so you can update as necessary (without having to scroll through pages of information you don’t need to bother with) and submit the revalidation. After completing the online process, you either submit the revalidation using an electronic signature, or submit a signed hard copy of the “certification statement” with any required documentation to the Medicare contractor that sent you the revalidation notice. Hopefully, all requirements will be clearly stated in the revalidation request you receive. Be sure to follow instructions, since failure to revalidate as requested may result in the deactivation of your Medicare billing privileges.  CMS has posted more information about this process.

Although institutional providers and suppliers will be charged a fee to reapply, there is no cost for individual practices and physicians to revalidate.