You’ll have an easier time forking over your $505 Medicare enrollment fee thanks to CMS integrating its web-based Provider Enrollment Chain Ownership System (PECOS) into Pay.gov, the federal government’s national online payment portal.
Remember:The $505 enrollment fee applies to institutional providers, suppliers of durable medical equipment/supplies and independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs). Your physicians and non-physician practitioners must also pay the $505 if they provide DME, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies. If you fall into these categories, you must pay the $505 for an initial application, adding a practice location or revalidating enrollment.
NOTE:The new enrollment fee was created in a final rule CMS released February 2011.
What the integration means:When you submit a Medicare enrollment application via the online PECOS website, you no longer have to separately open up Pay.gov first and pay the $505. Now, you will go through the online PECOS process and the system will determine whether you owe the $505.
If you do, online PECOS will automatically transfer you to Pay.gov where you make your payment by automated clearinghouse (ACH) credit or debit card, CMS says. After you pay up, you’ll be returned to online PECOS and PECOS will track the transaction. Once it clears, your application will begin processing.
Paper 855 users still affected:If you don’t use web-based PECOS, you will need to access Pay.gov using a new URL. The new link is https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov/pecos/feePaymentWelcome.do. For more information, check out MLN Matters article SE1130.