Gain One, Lose One

Atlanta

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has quietly added another city to the list of potential sites for national competitive bidding.

At a mid-December meeting with accrediting organizations, agency officials handed out a list of 19 possible metro areas that could be selected for bidding this year. But in a notice sent to accreditors after the meeting, CMS said it had mistakenly left off Orlando.

“From what I understand, they just forgot to put Orlando on the list,” said Tom Cesar, president of the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, one of the accreditation organizations given deeming authority by CMS. “We’re not really surprised because it has actually been talked about as one of the top 10 [metropolitan statistical areas].”

Orlando had been included on a previous list made public by the agency. Its reinsertion brings to 20 the number of cities that could be one of 10 sites selected for the rollout of NCB.

The other potential cities include: Miami (which accreditors said they were told would definitely be among the first sites); Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas-Ft. Worth; Riverside, Calif.; Pittsburgh; Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas); Cincinnati; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cleveland; San Francisco; Atlanta; Houston; Detroit; Seattle; Baltimore; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Boston; and Tampa.

It’s been a tense waiting period for HME stakeholders who have expected CMS to issue the final rule for months, as well as announce the 10 MSAs. Based on information the agency has previously given about its time line, the bidding program will be implemented in October.

And while the list of prospective MSAs grew by one, the list of DMEPOS accreditors shrank by one.

The Board of Certification in Pedorthics has merged with the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics. The merger, which became official Jan. 1, was approved by 89 percent of the two agencies’ members, said Tom Derrick, public relations, marketing and professional discipline manager for ABC.

“It’s a good step in the right direction,” Derrick said, noting that integration of the two bodies further streamlines the credentialing and accreditation processes for orthotists, prosthetists and pedorthists.

The organization will likely change its name at some point to the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics, Derrick said.

That name would join the list of nine other CMS-approved accreditors: Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC); Board of Orthotic/Prosthetic Certification (BOC); Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF); Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP); The Compliance Team; Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA); The Joint Commission; National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP); and The National Board of Accreditation for Orthotic Suppliers.

For contact information for all of the accrediting bodies, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS.