CMS Sets Aug. 31 Accreditation Deadline

BALTIMORE–Late Tuesday, CMS announced that suppliers participating in the first round of Medicare’s competitive bidding program must be accredited by Aug. 31, 2007, in order to be selected as a contract winner. The agency had previously stipulated that in order to submit a bid, suppliers must be accredited or pending accreditation. According to a CMS timeline, bidding will open late this month with a bid window of 60 days. The announcement from CMS follows in its entirety: In order to participate in the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, suppliers must meet quality standards and be accredited by a CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organization. Suppliers that are interested in bidding under the new program must be aware of two key deadlines: — Suppliers must be accredited or be pending accreditation to submit a bid. CMS cannot accept a bid from any supplier that is not accredited or that has not applied for accreditation.

— Suppliers will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline for the first round of competitive bidding is August 31, 2007. Suppliers must be accredited before this date to be awarded a contract. Suppliers should apply for accreditation immediately to allow adequate time to process their applications. Bidding is expected to open in late April 2007. For a list of the CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organizations and information about the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding program, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/ <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549980-0-0-0-1>

To view a Special Edition MLN Matters article on this topic, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0713.pdf <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549981-0-0-0-1>

For a list of the 10 MSAs where the bidding program is set to roll out, and for additional information on competitive bidding, see http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549982-0-0-0-1>

Check future issues of HomeCare Monday for continuing coverage, or visit www.homecaremag.com <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549983-0-0-0-1> for more information.