Addressing physician concerns about online Medicaid enrollment challenges, the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) has announced its new Provider Enrollment Assistant Tool (PEAT) is available for enrollment-related help.
Users can navigate to the help page in TMHP’s provider enrollment section to access the tool, which TMHP describes as “question-based software.” Typing in a question prompts PEAT to provide:
- Answers to revalidation questions, including due dates;
- Online appointment scheduling for personalized support with enrollment issues, including step-by-step guidance from a TMHP representative;
- Information about Provider Enrollment and Management System (PEMS) maintenance requests; and
- Instructions for new enrollments, reenrollments, and updates to existing enrollments.
Before initiating a PEAT request, TMHP advises having at the ready your National Provider Identifier (NPI), ZIP code, taxonomy number (if applicable), and any contact information related to the NPI.
In addition to a PEAT info sheet accessible online, TMHP is offering walk-through sessions for those needing additional enrollment support, which can be scheduled via PEAT, and offers an online PEMS guide updated in March.
“Prior to launch, PEAT underwent rigorous testing,” a Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) spokesperson said regarding the rollout. “PEAT was piloted with a group of experienced provider support staff to ensure effectiveness, accuracy and ease of use.”
The HHSC spokesperson also noted that the agency is still working on its PEMS enrolling and credentialing integration initiative, initially targeted for launch this past May, and will provide an update as developments warrant.
Cynthia Peacock, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Medicaid, CHIP, and the Uninsured, says it remains to be seen how intuitive PEAT will be to use and whether it will remedy the issues physicians have continuously had with the state’s online enrollment system.
Yet, she is optimistic the personalized support scheduling TMHP is offering could help physicians get needed troubleshooting assistance when issues arise.
TMA staff will monitor PEAT’s performance to prepare for ongoing conversations with TMHP about the PEMS user experience. They encourage physicians using the tool to contact TMA’s Physician Payment Resource Center with feedback about their experience.
Last Updated On
August 06, 2025
Originally Published On
August 06, 2025
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.