CMS Extends Medicare Participation Deadline to Mid-February

Physicians who still are undecided about their Medicare participation status for 2008 now have a little more time to mull over their options, because CMS has extended the participation decision deadline to Feb. 15.

The CMS announcement was both expected and necessary because of down-to-the-wire adjustments to the 2008 Medicare physician fee schedule made by Congress in the waning hours of 2007.

Physicians must complete the CMS-460 form to become participating Medicare physicians. The form is available on a CD that was mailed to physicians in November or can be obtained from a physician's local Medicare contractor. The form must be completed, signed and mailed to the local contractor so that it is postmarked no later than Feb. 15.

Physicians changing their participation status to "nonparticipating" must send their request in a letter to their local contractor that is postmarked by Feb. 15.

According to CMS, all participating status changes will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008.