PECOS may cost you some pesos.

adiologists are required to idenify the referring physicians when hey submit claims to the Medicare rogram for services that require reerrals. Centers for Medicare and edicaid Services (CMS) has anounced a program to verify that all eferring providers are eligible to reer within the program. Initially, MS indicated that effective Janury 1, 2011, all referring physicians ust be enrolled in the Medicare rogram through the Provider Enollment Chain and Ownership ystem (PECOS) [1]. In response o the Patient Protections and Afordable Care Act (PPACA), CMS ndicated in its Interim Final Rule hat the regulation would become ffective July 6, 2010 [2] However, uring an open door forum on May 9, 2010, CMS indicated the date t which claims would be effective ould be January 3, 2010 [3]. If a eferring physician is not in the CMS ECOS database, the radiologist ho furnishes an ordered service ill not be paid for that service. The olicy places radiologists at risk for ot being paid for legitimate serices provided to Medicare benefiiaries. Moreover, radiologists will e required to take a more proactive ole in confirming the enrollment tatus of physicians from whom hey receive referrals. In this colmn, I discuss the PECOS proram and the types of services that re affected. I also discuss processes hat radiology practices should imlement now so that they are ready hen the program goes into effect.