BALTIMORE--The news on competitive bidding and other government initiatives is moving a mile a minute and, at that breakneck speed, it’s easy to miss something that could be imperative for your business. To help, HomeCare has assembled the following list of dates and events to keep you prepared.
* CMS will host its second national provider education call on competitive bidding on May 27 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. Agency officials will answer questions and address "exceptions and situations" that may occur with implementation of the bidding program. To receive the call-in information, you must register for the teleconference before 1 p.m. ET on May 26. To register, click here. To view a PowerPoint presentation that was used in the agency's initial training call last week, click here.
* The CMS Web site address for information on competitive bidding has changed. It can now be found at www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOScompetitivebid.
* A new chapter dealing with competitive bidding has been posted to the Medicare Claims Processing Manual. Chapter 36 is “dedicated to policies and contractor instructions related to DMEPOS competitive bidding,” according to CMS’ Joel Kaiser, speaking during an Open Door Forum on Tuesday. “This is the initial installment,” Kaiser said. “There will be more installments coming in the very near future. [The claims processing manual contains an] overview of the competitive bidding program, a lot of basic, general information about the program, and the most important thing to note about the first installment is regarding the grandfathering policies for oxygen and oxygen equipment and rented DME."
* Information on grandfathering has also been posted on the CBIC Web site at http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/Palmetto/Cbic.nsf/DocsCat/Home. According to CMS, providers in the first 10 MSAs must make the determination about whether they will operate as grandfathered suppliers before the implementation of round one on July 1.
* Beneficiary notice letters, which detail the processes and procedures of DMEPOS competitive bidding, have also been posted to the Web. Providers can view sample letters on the CBIC Web site at www.dmecompetitivebid.com.
* During a national provider training call on Tuesday, the CBIC announced its implementation of an ombudsman program for round one of bidding. A CBIC representative said eight ombudsmen for the first 10 MSAs will be available to work with providers “soon.”
* During the Open Door call last week, CMS’ Sandra Bastinelli said to expect the final list of accreditation quality standards revisions--the comment period for which ended in March--to be posted “soon.” She also said the fourth in a series of educational calls on mandatory accreditation would occur in July. The exact date, she said, would be announced at the next Open Door, which has been scheduled for June 25.
* The deadline for providers in round two to apply for accreditation has passed (May 14). Providers in the 70 round two MSAs who wish to be considered for contracts must receive their accreditation no later than Oct. 31, 2008.
* According to CMS, a directory with the names and contact information for contract suppliers will be posted in June at www.medicare.gov.
* For questions about competitive bidding, the telephone number for the CBIC’s customer service center is 877/577-5331. CMS advised that claims-specific questions be directed to the four DME MACs, policy questions to the CBIC and enrollment questions to the NSC. The email address for questions to the CBIC is cbic.admin@palmettogba.com.
* National Government Services, the CEDI contractor, will conduct two "Ask the Contractor" teleconferences for all DME MAC electronic trading partners, vendors, billing services and clearinghouses on Tuesday, May 20, and Thursday, May 22, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. The teleconference dial-in number for both calls is 888/285-8453. The conference ID for the May 20 call is 48021388. The ID for the May 22 call is 48024786. Registration for the calls is not necessary.
* On Wednesday, May 21--the same day as the American Association for Homecare’s Medicare Bidding Fly-in--the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship will hold a hearing on “Competitive Bidding for Durable Medical Equipment.” Small providers representing AAHomecare, the North Carolina Association for Medical Equipment Services and Waterloo, Iowa-based VGM are among the organizations that will give testimony. The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in Room 1539 at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill.
* May 23 is the deadline for suppliers to begin using their NPI-only numbers for all HIPAA and paper transactions where a provider identifier is required. Providers who attempt a transaction with a Medicare legacy identifier after this date will have their claims rejected. To address questions about the NPI, CMS will hold a national NPI roundtable Q&A session today from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. To register for the call or for replay information, click here.