Following the enacting of the Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act of 2008 and the subsequent delay of national competitive bidding (NCB) programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has cancelled the special accreditation deadlines for DME suppliers who would have participated in competitive bidding’s second round.

Prior to the new law that will now reform CMS’ national competitive bidding program and postpone its implementation, suppliers who wanted to participate in the program’s second round were required to achieve accreditation by Jan. 14, 2009. A few days after H.R. 6331 became law, however, CMS notified providers that the second-round accreditation deadlines no longer applied.

CMS added that the remaining accreditation deadline of Sept. 30, 2009, will stay in effect. All DME suppliers who want to continue to bill Medicare must be accredited by that date, regardless of whether or not they intend to participate in future competitive bidding programs.
For more information on Medicare accreditation, accrediting organizations or standards, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/03_ DeemedAccreditationOrganizations.asp.