Accurate Supplier Information a Must for DMEPOS Bidding

Maintaining accurate supplier information is important if you plan to competitively bid. If you have had a recent change and have not notified CMS, you are at risk of being excluded from the program.

CMS reiterated its current information requirement in an e-mail that stated “DMEPOS supplier standard # 2 requires all suppliers to notify the NSC (National Supplier Clearinghouse) of any change in information provided on CMS form 855S application form within 30 days of the change.”

Go to the NSC website, www.palmettogba.com/nsc, to submit any change of supplier information.

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August 31: Accreditation Deadline for First Round Competitive Bidding Suppliers

The accreditation deadline for suppliers participating in the first round of competitive bidding is August 31.

Participating suppliers must be accredited before this date in order to be awarded a contract. Suppliers wishing to participate in the competitive bidding project should apply for accreditation immediately in order to allow adequate time to process their applications. To complete this initial registration and obtain an User ID and password, please go to https://applications.cms.hhs.gov.

Bidding is expected to open in late April 2007. Only suppliers that are bidding must meet the August 31 deadline. CMS has NOT set a date for non-bidding suppliers to obtain accreditation.

Initial Supplier Registration for DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Open

I just participated in a CMS briefing for members of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee for DMEPOS competitive bidding. I have verified that EVERY bidder must be accredited or have submitted an application to become accredited or their bid will be rejected. The first steps to submitting a bid start with suppliers registering to access online tools.

Start here: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0717.pdf.

This includes ALL suppliers of durable medical equipment that wish to participate in the Medicare Competitive Bidding Program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies.

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An Easy Way to Find Your MSA

Here is a link to some easy to read maps that detail the DMEPOS competitive bid areas in the first 10 MSAs selected,
http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/cbic/CBIC.nsf/(Pages)/Competitive+Bid+Areas.

You can search by zip code as well.

Areas outside of the MSAs are designated as rural locations, currently exempt from competitive bidding. However, you still MUST be accredited to maintain you Part B supplier billing number.

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Accreditation Required for All DMEPOS Suppliers…Except

Suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) must obtain accreditation or at least have applied for accreditation from a CMS-approved agency IF they contemplate bidding on DMEPOS.

The ONLY exception to the rule is a pharmacy that maintains a Part B supplier billing number in order to submit Part B drug claims and administer vaccinations.

These supplier pharmacies must meet the current 21 national supplier clearinghouse (NSC) standards, BUT do not have to obtain any further accreditation.

Remember though, if you bill for just ONE box of glucose test strips at retail you must obtain accreditation.

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Competitive Bidding: Community Pharmacy, Beneficiaries with Diabetes Win

Congratulations NCPA members! Your e-mails, completed surveys, letters, and phone calls alerting Congress to the burdensome impact Medicare Part B billing supplier standards would have on your ability to provide access to important DMEPOS has been heard loud and clear.

NCPA’s successes include:

1. Modifying accreditation standards so they take into consideration the already stringent standards pharmacies and pharmacists must comply with on the state level.


2. Reducing accreditation agency fees and the introduction of pharmacist-friendly DMEPOS accreditation agencies (i.e. NABP, HQAA).


3. The exclusion of diabetic monitors and testing supplies from competitive bidding for retail suppliers ONLY. Mail-order firms must competitively bid.


4. Protections that require 30 percent winning bidders be small suppliers.

The bidding process will begin later this month, with CMS accepting bids for 60 days. Winning bids will be announced in December. CMS will use the median of the winning bids to establish “Medicare single payments,” which will apply universally to like products within each CBA. The Medicare single payments will replace current fee schedule amounts for those products, and will go into effect in April 2008.

If you plan to competitively bid, submit you accreditation application today! For more information on accreditation, visit NCPA’s DME Resource Center at www.pharmacistelink.com/medicaredme.

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