March 2010 | The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct a revalidation effort that will ensure current enrollment information from all hospitals. The revalidation focuses on hospitals that have not updated their enrollment information with Medicare in more than 6 years.

By regulation, a provider has 60 days to respond to a revalidation request by completing and submitting the Medicare enrollment application (CMS-855A or Internet-based PECOS enrollment application) and applicable supporting documentation (e.g., Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization Agreement [CMS-588]), according to CMS.

The CMS is encouraging hospitals to:

• Consider completing and submitting the CMS-855A as an initial application or completing and submitting the Internet-based PECOS enrollment application and supporting documentation on a voluntary basis. Note: By submitting an enrollment application on a voluntary basis, hospitals will avoid the time pressures associated with revalidation.


• Consider using Internet-based PECOS as the method of completing and submitting the enrollment application. If the decision is made to use Internet-based PECOS, then the hospital's Authorized Official should take a few minutes to review the "Getting Started Guide for Organizations" found in the Internet-based PECOS download section of www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.
  
  

The mission of the ICAVL is to promote high quality noninvasive vascular diagnostic examinations.

Noninvasive tests are being promoted to screen for asymptomatic cardiovascular disease, promote risk factor modification, and assure earlier intervention to reduce future morbidity. The current opinion of many specialists in vascular disease is that there are selected groups of asymptomatic people who could benefit from screening.

Although screening examinations may involve self-selected participants and be performed in nontraditional settings, standards of vascular testing similar to diagnostic examinations are nonetheless necessary to ensure high quality patient care and to promote health. The standards of vascular testing for diagnostic examinations are well-established, and the mechanisms to assure the quality of testing are provided through laboratory accreditation and personnel certification.

All noninvasive vascular studies, screening and diagnostic, must be reliable and of high quality. To that end, the critical elements of screening require:

• Appropriate selection of participants. Screening guidelines must be based upon contemporary scientific publications, and the use of screening in low risk individuals has not been shown to be scientifically valid. Screening cannot replace diagnostic examinations for symptomatic individuals.
• Participant education describing the nature of screening and significance of normal and abnormal results.
• Appropriate protocols for examination performance and interpretation.
• Trained technical personnel that are certified or under the direct supervision of certified personnel. All personnel, those performing and those interpreting examinations, must have adequate experience and relevant training.
• Well-maintained equipment of sufficient operating condition and quality to provide accurate results.
• High quality examinations demonstrable through ongoing quality assurance.
• Appropriate reporting of results to the participant and their health care provider.
• Compliance with HIPAA and other relevant regulations.

Only those entities or laboratories that can demonstrate compliance with the above elements should be considered eligible to perform screening tests.

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