Details on Round 2021 Still on Hold

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 24, 2020)—Home medical equipment (HME) suppliers have received a notice from the CBIC indicating that that Competitive Bidding Round 2021 “contract offers and disqualification information would soon be provided” in Connexion and encouraging suppliers to make sure their CMS Enterprise Portal information was up to date. 
 
AAHomecare reached out to CMS about the email through counsel and learned that the CBIC sent this message out without clearing it with CMS. Furthermore, our counsel was told that CMS has not yet made a decision on moving forward on Round 2021.
 
The HME community is anxiously awaiting details on the scope and timing for Round 2021. AAHomecare will continue to advocate for a delay of the next bidding round for at least one year or through the length of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), whichever is later. A delay will allow HME suppliers to continue to play a major role in supporting patients and reducing pressures on hospitals and clinicians during the PHE and also give HME stakeholders and CMS a chance to address the dramatic changes in the healthcare landscape in the wake of the pandemic.
 
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