Medicare Enrollment on Autopilot: Why You Should Set Up Surrogacy Access

Tired of Medicare Enrollment Hassles? Let Someone Else Handle It.

Medicare enrollment and credentialing involve more than just submitting an application. Changes happen—your practice moves, a new provider joins, or Medicare asks for updates. And every time something needs to be fixed, you have to log into PECOS, figure out what’s wrong, and submit the update yourself.

It’s frustrating, time-consuming, and—if you miss something—it can cause delays in getting paid.

There’s a better way. PECOS Surrogacy Access allows you to authorize a trusted team to handle Medicare credentialing for you, so you’re not the one chasing down updates.

Why Medicare Enrollment Isn’t a One-and-Done Process

A common misconception is that once a provider is credentialed with Medicare, they’re set for life. But in reality, keeping enrollment active requires ongoing updates and maintenance.

Here’s why:

• Medicare requires revalidation every few years. If it’s missed, your enrollment can be deactivated.
• Practice changes (like a new address) must be updated in PECOS. If your information doesn’t match what Medicare has on file, claims can be held up.
• Medicare may request additional documentation. If something is missing, someone needs to log in, retrieve the request, and submit the right forms.

Many providers don’t realize these updates are necessary—until they’re suddenly dealing with billing issues and denied claims.

This is why many practices set up surrogacy access as part of their Medicare credentialing process. It prevents last-minute problems and ensures that all updates are handled on time.

What Is PECOS Surrogacy Access (And Why Does It Matter)?

PECOS (Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System) is Medicare’s online enrollment system. It stores your provider details, processes applications, and tracks credentialing requirements.

Surrogacy access is a feature that lets a provider delegate access to a trusted third party—allowing them to manage enrollments, submit updates, and handle compliance tasks without needing your login credentials.

Without surrogacy access:

• Only you (or someone at your practice) can make enrollment changes.
• If something needs to be updated, it’s on you to log in and fix it.
• Delays in updating PECOS can lead to billing issues or enrollment lapses.

With surrogacy access:

• Your Medicare enrollment is managed behind the scenes.
• Routine updates (like revalidations) are handled without you lifting a finger.
• Issues can be resolved immediately, reducing payment delays.

This one-time setup ensures that you never have to log in to PECOS again for routine credentialing tasks.

Why This Step Exists in the First Place

At one time, providers had no choice but to log in themselves for every single Medicare enrollment update.

Some providers resorted to sharing their personal login credentials with office staff or credentialing teams—an insecure and non-compliant practice.

To solve this, Medicare introduced PECOS Surrogacy Access, allowing authorized third parties to handle credentialing tasks without compromising security.

Now, instead of waiting on providers to manually log in and approve each change, Medicare enrollment can be managed smoothly in the background.

How to Set Up Surrogacy Access (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Setting it up takes just a few minutes and means you’ll never have to manually update PECOS again.

Here’s how:

1. Confirm your Authorized Official (AO) status (this is required to grant access).
2. Log in to PECOS and navigate to “My Connections.”
3. Search for your credentialing team’s NPI (your specialist will provide this).
4. Grant access and select PECOS/NPPES permissions.
5. Approve the request in the CMS I&A System.

Need step-by-step guidance? Check out our detailed support article: How to Grant Surrogacy Access in PECOS

Managing multiple healthcare portals?

PECOS isn’t the only system providers need to navigate. Many payors have their own credentialing platforms, and each comes with different access rules, logins, and approval steps. Learn how to simplify credentialing across multiple payor portals.

The Bottom Line: Don’t Let Medicare Enrollment Become Your Problem

Keeping Medicare enrollment up to date isn’t optional—but spending your time on it should be.

Surrogacy access allows your credentialing team to manage enrollments, handle revalidations, and prevent claim delays—without you having to think about it.

Any well-organized credentialing process will include this step at the beginning, ensuring that Medicare enrollments stay current without providers needing to log in repeatedly.

If your Medicare enrollment isn’t on autopilot yet, now’s the time to fix it.