Sens. John Tester, D-Mont., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., have introduced the Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2009, a bill that would add pharmacists to the list of 17 medical professionals that are exempted from Medicare Part B accreditation requirements. The bill is a companion to a House bill introduced earlier this year by Reps. Marion Berry, D-Ark., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan. In announcing the House bill, Berry pointed out that community pharmacists "are the only licensed medical professionals that must meet new CMS accreditation requirements as suppliers of DMEPOS" (see "Bill Would Exempt Pharmacists from Accreditation," HomeCare Monday, Jan. 26).
But CMS' Sandra Bastinelli, who has oversight of the agency's DMEPOS accreditation program, has estimated there are 25,000 pharmacy locations already accredited. If a pharmacy bills Medicare Part B for DMEPOS, it must meet the Sept. 30, 2009, accreditation deadline, she said during an Open Door Forum Feb. 18.