The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) have each issued and posted to their respective websites a Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) “Dear Physician” letter, which announces that durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) providers will not receive payment from Medicare for prescribed items if the ordering/referring provider is not enrolled in the Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). The letter serves as a reminder for ordering/referring providers to enroll in Medicare or update their enrollment information.
The letter states that for any DMEPOS item to qualify for coverage by Medicare it must be ordered by a physician or a practitioner who is eligible to order such item. To be eligible, the physician or practitioner must be enrolled in PECOS, must be registered in the system, and must have a specialty that is eligible to order DMEPOS items for Medicare beneficiaries.
The provider specialties who can order DMEPOS items include:
- Doctor of medicine or osteopathy.
- Doctor of dental medicine or dental surgery.
- Doctor of podiatric medicine.
- Physician assistant.
- Certified clinical nurse specialist.
- Nurse practitioner
- Doctor of optometry.
For more information, visit the CMS website for updated information on PECOS and ordering/referring.
