BALTIMORE--The passage of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act has competitive bidding on hold, but CMS is reminding providers that the mandatory accreditation deadline of Sept. 30, 2009, still stands.
As a result of the competitive bidding delay, however, the accreditation deadlines associated with round two of the program--one that would have been effective today--have been cancelled. According to a notice issued Friday afternoon, CMS said:
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was enacted on July 15, 2008. This new law has delayed the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. As a result of this delay, the special accreditation deadlines previously established for the second round of the program have been cancelled. Specifically, prior to enactment of this new law, suppliers must have been accredited or have applied for accreditation by July 21, 2008, to be eligible to submit a bid for the second round of competitive bidding and must have obtained accreditation by Jan. 14, 2009, to be eligible for a second round contract. Both of these deadlines have been cancelled and no longer apply.
The deadline of Sept. 30, 2009, that was previously established by which all DMEPOS suppliers must be accredited is still in effect.
In the third in a series of four planned accreditation teleconferences last week, CMS' Sandra Bastinelli reminded providers that anyone providing HME must be accredited by Sept. 30, 2009. No exceptions.
“This is not competitive bidding. And I think you already had many calls on competitive bidding and you know where that stands,” Bastinelli told listeners.
“Who does the [accreditation] law actually relate to? It relates to anyone [providing DMEPOS items], she continued. "And the majority of the questions that we received were 'We are in this practice or we are in that practice. I only bill for two supplies a year, and I only have this one supply.' The statute does not say anything about volume or site of care. What it states is all DMEPOS suppliers must comply with quality standards--and that means to be accredited--in order to retain or obtain a Medicare Part B payment for DMEPOS.”
The teleconference, held June 15--just hours before Congress voted to override President Bush's veto of the new Medicare legislation--outlined the basic requirements for accreditation, and stressed that all entities providing HME must be accredited by one of CMS' selected 10 accrediting bodies. But despite CMS' clarity on the issue, many providers called asking variations of the same question: “Do I need to get accredited?”
Other questions included how much accreditation costs and which accrediting body provided accreditation “the fastest.”
CMS responded that accreditation costs vary among accrediting bodies. As for which accreditors are quickest? “If you're looking for the shortest way, you are missing the point,” said Bastinelli, emphasizing that accreditation is meant to ensure that patients are receiving the highest quality of care.
She advised providers should expect at least six months to complete the accreditation process.
A replay of the teleconference is available through July 22 at 800/642-1687. Use passcode 49364905.