New requirements for physician enrollment or opt-out status will take effect on May 1, 2024.
 
CMS is reminding providers that physicians certifying the patient’s terminal condition must enroll in Medicare or opt out.  
 
This requirement applies to fee-for-service Medicare providers. CMS notes that hospices can verify a physician’s enrollment or opt-out status using the CMS ordering and referring data file (ORDF), which lists all Medicare-enrolled and opted-out physicians. CMS will be modifying the ORDF to create a separate column with this status.