PECOS, the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System, is the CMS web-based portal through which healthcare providers and suppliers enroll in Medicare, update their enrollment information, and manage their participation status. Any provider who wants to bill Medicare for services must have an active, accurate PECOS enrollment record. Billing Medicare without an active enrollment, or […]
CMS, Medicare, Medicare Enrollment, PECOS
Medicare credentialing is the process through which CMS authorizes a healthcare provider to see Medicare beneficiaries and bill for covered services. Enrollment is managed through PECOS, the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, and processed by regional Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) assigned to specific geographic areas. Processing typically takes 60 to 90 days from submission […]
Credentialing, Medicare, Medicare Credentialing, PECOS
For healthcare providers looking to expand their patient base and establish a stable revenue stream, becoming an in-network Medicare provider represents a significant opportunity. With over 66 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, this federal health insurance program serves as a cornerstone of healthcare coverage in the United States. However, the process of joining Medicare’s network […]
In-Network Credentialing, In-Network with Medicare, Medicare, Medicare In-Network
As US healthcare costs continue rising steeply – now over $4 trillion representing nearly 20% of GDP – both federal and state policymakers urgently seek ways to contain runaway expenditure growth. This drive manifests through expansion of programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care coupled with accelerating passage of game-changing legislation like No Surprises […]
Billing, Billing Best Practice, Billing Disruption, Billing Revenue, Claim Data, Consumer-Centered Billing, Good Faith Estimates, Health Level 7, Healthcare, HL7, Interoperability, Medicaid, Medical Billing Regulations, Medicare, No Surprises Act, Pre-Authorization
Payer contracts determine what a healthcare practice gets paid for every service it delivers. They specify reimbursement rates by CPT code, define the provider network terms under which those rates apply, set claim submission deadlines, and contain termination and audit provisions that most providers never read before signing. In many practices, payers account for up […]
Medicaid, Medicare, Payer Contracting
Behavioral / Mental Health Services + Medicare Sometimes it can be problematic for older adults to differentiate indicators of mental health difficulties for typical aging-related changes. They may think that experiencing sadness or anxiety is an ordinary symptom of growing older, particularly when they live with taxing health conditions or lose loved ones. Deteriorating health […]
Behavioral Health, Behavioral Health Billing, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Coverage, Medicare Therapy, Mental Health, Mental Health Billing
Home Health Services + Medicare What does Medicare Cover for Home Healthcare? If you’re looking for an answer to the question, “What does Medicare cover for home healthcare?”, you’ve probably typed it into a search engine and immediately closed the tab. The amount of information and the level of detail can quickly become confusing and […]
Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Home Health Care, Home Health Services, Home Healthcare, Medicaid, Medicaid Billing, Medicaid Coverage, Medicare, Medicare Billing, Medicare Coverage
Medicare, Medicaid Fraud Examples and Steps to Ensure You Don’t Commit It *These are examples of fraud as it relates to Medicare and Medicaid. Medical fraud is the intentional deception or misrepresentation of healthcare transactions by the provider for the sake of receiving unauthorized benefits or financial gain. Healthcare fraud is committed when a dishonest […]
Billing Fraud, False Claims Act, Fraud, Medicaid, Medicaid Billing, Medicaid Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Medicare Billing, Medicare Fraud, Upcoding
Getting paid for the care you provide used to be fairly simple, see the patient, bill Medicare, get paid based on volume. That model started to shift back in 2015, when Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, better known as MACRA. The law rebuilt the way Medicare pays physicians, moving reimbursement away […]
Advanced APM, CMS, Medicare, MIPS, QPP, Value-Based Models