CMS Issues Waivers for Equipment Lost or Damaged in Tropical Storm Barry

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2019)—CMS has issued blanket waivers for areas affected by Topical Storm Barry in Louisiana. The waivers are implemented retroactively to July 10, 2019 for 90 days (approximately October 8, 2019). The blanket waivers can be used for DMEPOS items that have been lost, damaged or destroyed. To use this waiver, suppliers will need to provide a narrative description on the claim that explains the reason the equipment needs to be replaced. Suppliers should keep documentation that supports that the item was lost or unusable due to the tropical storm.

According to CMS’s waiver announcement, suppliers should apply the following to claims for which Medicare payment is based on a “formal waiver” including, but not limited to, Section 1135 or Section 1812(f) of the Act:1:

• The “DR” (disaster related) condition code for institutional billing, i.e., claims submitted using the ASC X12 837 institutional claims format or paper Form CMS-1450.
• The “CR” (catastrophe/disaster related) modifier for Part B billing, both institutional and non-institutional, i.e., claims submitted using the ASC X12 837 professional claim format or paper Form CMS-1500 or, for pharmacies, in the NCPDP format.

Find additional DMEPOS-specific information here and additional info on CMS’s Current Emergencies page.