For technical reasons, Medicare has indefinitely delayed enforcing
its requirement that physicians must be enrolled in Medicare to be reimbursed
for Part B claims from imaging centers, labs, Part A home health agencies, and
durable medical equipment, orthotics and supplies.
The policy was originally scheduled to take effect on May 1, and
would have applied to all physicians, except for those had a valid opt-out
certificate on file with their local Medicare contractor.
We anticipate that once the technical problems are resolved, the requirement will be reinstated. In the interim, Medicare will continue to send informational messages for claims that would have been denied had the policy been in place. Therefore we urge physicians who are not yet enrolled to do so, or to apply for an exemption.
When it's finally implemented, the policy will not apply to referrals to physician specialists,
or orders for Part D and Part B drugs.
For more information about the Medicare enrollment process, download this fact sheet (.pdf), or visit the AMA website on Medicare enrollment.
