ATLANTA — Accreditors reported an influx of DMEPOS providers striving to meet CMS' soft Jan. 31 application date, but whether there will be enough companies accredited by the Sept. 30 mandatory date to serve Medicare beneficiaries is anyone's guess.
"I'm not sure what enough would be, but I think the biggest fear is that when it's all said and done, the Medicare beneficiary has enough options or even some options when it comes to their home medical needs decisions," said Mary K. Nicholas, MHA, executive director of the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation in Waterloo, Iowa.
CMS had advised the Jan. 31 deadline for providers to submit applications for accreditation. After that date, the agency said, accrediting organizations could not guarantee that providers would be able to get through the process in time to meet its mandatory deadline. But even with the recent rise in applications, accreditors said there would not be a problem dealing with them.
"We are currently processing each facility's application and are confident that we can handle the workload," said Katie Schaefer, spokesperson for the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics in Alexandria, Va. "We have been ramping up our infrastructure for several years in anticipation of this demand."
Her comment was echoed by HQAA and The Joint Commission. HQAA's Nicholas pointed out, however, that it wasn't the accreditors being able to meet the deadline that providers should worry about. "The onus of responsibility is largely still upon the provider to ensure that even through the time constraints, they can handle it all," she said.
The accrediting organizations must have time to process the applications and conduct unannounced site surveys. In addition, providers need time to become "survey-ready" and, after the survey, address any problems.
In order to meet the Sept. 30 deadline, said Debra Zak, Ph.D., RN, L. Ac., executive director of home care accreditation for The Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., "organizations need to get surveyed in June and July, and then they will need to respond to any requirements for improvement."
Added Zak, "We are essentially telling organizations that in order to help the process flow more efficiently and cut down on their wait time, they need to clearly and accurately complete their application by the end of February, give us a realistic ready date, set aside documentation they know the surveyor will need to see and be survey-ready and at their offices every morning."
That latter is particularly important for small providers, many of whom make deliveries and call on patients, Zak pointed out. "If you're not there to open the door at 8 a.m. [the day the surveyor comes], you will have missed your survey," she said.