BALTIMORE--With only three weeks until the implementation of round one July 1, CMS said Friday it will announce an outreach effort on competitive bidding aimed at beneficiaries.
In a media advisory sent Friday afternoon, the agency said acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems will hold a news briefing this afternoon to announce “Medicare’s outreach effort to help beneficiaries learn about a new program that lowers costs for DME under the competitive bidding program.”
On a call for beneficiary advocacy groups in early May, CMS officials said beneficiaries in the 10 round one CBAs would receive a mailing about Medicare’s impending changes with a list of contract suppliers and a program brochure. In a provider training call May 27, agency representatives repeated there would be a mailing to beneficiaries in the bid areas, but advised providers themselves to notify their Medicare patients about grandfathering decisions by June 1. Since, providers have been rushing to get those notices out. (See “Frustration Over ZIP Codes Spreads to Round One” in this issue.)
CMS has also planned a conference call for referral agents and non-contract suppliers to address additional questions on competitive bidding. The call will be held June 12 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT.
Participants will be able to submit questions through the online registration system at the time of sign up for the call. To register, go to www2.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/061208. Registration must be completed by 1 p.m. June 11.
After the call, a replay will be accessible from 3 p.m. June 12 until 11:59 p.m. June 17. The number for the replay is 800/642-1687 and the passcode is 49895703.
Last week, the agency did release a flurry of new educational aids for providers on how things will work post-July 1, among them:
--a tip sheet for physicians and other treating practitioners that outlines exceptions under which they can provide certain types of bid items in a CBA to their own patients without being selected as a contract supplier.
--a tip sheet for non-contract suppliers that includes circumstances under which they can bill for bid items and the actions they need to take to assure continuity of care for their patients living in the CBAs. The tip sheet covers CMS’ recommendation that non-contract suppliers who decide not to become grandfathered suppliers for oxygen and oxygen equipment notify their Medicare patients 30 days in advance of the July 1 start date “so that beneficiaries have adequate time to transition to contract suppliers and not risk gaps in critical services.” The tip sheet also gives information about picking up equipment and the need for coordination with contract suppliers so that new equipment is delivered before old equipment is removed.
--a tip sheet for mail order contract diabetic suppliers that explains how this part of the program works. Under competitive bidding, beneficiaries who live in or travel to the 10 round one CBAs must obtain diabetic testing supplies from a contract supplier unless an exception applies.
--a special edition MLN Matters article (SE0820) titled “Marketing Rules Reminders for DME Suppliers Including Contract Suppliers under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program” that describes the existing marketing rules and prohibitions that apply to all Medicare DMEPOS suppliers.
--a companion MLN Matters article (MM5978) that accompanies the first of several installments in the new Chapter 36 of the Medicare Claims Processing Manual about policies and instructions under competitive bidding, including when non-contract suppliers should obtain a signed Advance Beneficiary Notice.
--the transcript from a May 13 conference call on competitive bidding that includes an overview of the program and a Q&A session with participants. To access the transcript, go to the CMS competitive bidding Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitivebid, then click on the “Announcements and Communications” tab and scroll down to the “Downloads” section.
The tip sheets and MLN Matters articles are also available on the CMS Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitivebid. Click on the “Provider Educational Products and Resources” tab and scroll down to the “Downloads” section.
Additionally, Jurisdiction B DME MAC National Government Services said last week it will host two Ask-the-Contractor teleconferences June 19 to discuss competitive bidding. A morning session will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET, followed by an afternoon session from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The call will include an overview of competitive bidding as well as information on new modifiers, important dates and reminders and where to find educational resources. A PowerPoint presentation will be posted to the NGS Web site prior to the call. After the presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session.
The call is free, but registration is required at www.ngsmedicare.com/ngsmedicare/DMEMAC/EducationandSupport/CalendarofEvents/Registration/cal_dme/contentindex_cal_dme.cfm.