A Week Late and Counting on Bid Winners

BALTIMORE — While HME stakeholders wait on CMS to reveal
the names of those who won competitive bidding contracts in
the Round 1 rebid — the agency had said it would release the
list by the end of September — its preparations for the
program’s implementation haven’t slowed.

In an 11-page MLN Matters article released Oct. 4, the agency
explains Remittance Advice (RA) messages providers could receive on
claims in 23 specific circumstances under the bidding program.
Those situations are wide-ranging, from beneficiaries residing in
competitive bidding areas who travel to grandfathered claims for
routinely purchased items.

Read MM7066
in full on the CMS website.

As for the list of bid winners, stay tuned. “CMS says ‘soon,’”
according to Invacare’s Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of
government relations, adding there is some speculation the agency
is still trying to get enough contractors in the nine bidding
areas.

View more competitive bidding
stories.