Medicare Part D deadlines have been delayed

The CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) released a memo dated June 1, 2015, delaying the deadlines for provider enrollment or opt-out, and for enforcement of the prescription requirements for Medicare Part D coverage. The new deadline for provider registration is January 1, 2016, and for Medicare Part D prescription enforcement is June 1, 2016. For the complete memo on the CMS web site, see http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/PrescriptionDrugCovGenIn/Downloads/HPMS-Memo-Prescriber-Enrollment-Enforcement-v06012015.pdf . Those dentists that treat Medicare patients and prescribe Part D covered drugs must either opt-in or opt-out of Medicare. If opting out, dentists cannot receive Medicare payments for two years. And, it is not a simple decision – there is an option to enroll for ordering and referring, which is not the same as opt-in for Medicare billing. Your decisions could affect Medicare-eligible patients when prescribing drugs and medical appliances. If you have not already completed the decision process and submitted the forms (and had them accepted), you may want to contact your local dental society, the ADA, or a consultant for help. All affected dental practices should make the decisions and get the process started well before the new deadline of January 1, 2016.