The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to emphasize the urgent need for DME suppliers to become accredited, and has indicated that round-two competitive bidding participants will need to be accredited or apply for accreditation by May 14, 2008.
Suppliers who have not at least started the accreditation process by May 14 will be ineligible to submit bids, CMS says.
To be eligible to win a bid, suppliers must be accredited by Oct. 31, 2008, CMS has added.
In a new round of DME MAC bulletins last week, CMS urged suppliers to start the accreditation process immediately, so accrediting bodies have enough time to process the applications and suppliers have enough time to complete the accreditation process.
For a list of accrediting organizations, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/03_DeemedAccreditationOrganizations.asp and go to the Downloads (pdf) section.
The product categories for competitive bidding’s second round are Oxygen Supplies and Equipment; Standard Power Wheelchairs, Scooters and Related Accessories; Complex Rehabilitative Power Wheelchairs and Related Accessories; Enteral Nutrients, Equipment, and Supplies; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Devices, Respiratory Assist Devices (RADs), and Related Supplies and Accessories; Hospital Beds and Related Accessories; Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Pumps and Related Supplies and Accessories; and Walkers and Related Accessories.
CMS announced the second-round metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in January, but the industry is still waiting to hear the specific ZIP codes that will be involved. CMS has said it expects to announce the ZIP codes in the spring.
Suppliers in the first-round MSAs are also waiting to hear if they’ve won bids.
DME suppliers who do not intend to participate in competitive bidding still need to be accredited if they want to continue to bill Medicare Part B.
To keep up with CMS’ competitive bidding program, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/.
