CMS Sets Aug. 31 Accreditation Deadline

BALTIMORE--Late Tuesday, CMS announced that suppliers participating in the first round of Medicare's competitive bidding program must be accredited by Aug. 31, 2007, in order to be selected as a contract winner. The agency had previously stipulated that in order to submit a bid, suppliers must be accredited or pending accreditation. According to a CMS timeline, bidding will open late this month with a bid window of 60 days. The announcement from CMS follows in its entirety: In order to participate in the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, suppliers must meet quality standards and be accredited by a CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organization. Suppliers that are interested in bidding under the new program must be aware of two key deadlines: -- Suppliers must be accredited or be pending accreditation to submit a bid. CMS cannot accept a bid from any supplier that is not accredited or that has not applied for accreditation.

-- Suppliers will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline for the first round of competitive bidding is August 31, 2007. Suppliers must be accredited before this date to be awarded a contract. Suppliers should apply for accreditation immediately to allow adequate time to process their applications. Bidding is expected to open in late April 2007. For a list of the CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organizations and information about the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding program, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/ <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549980-0-0-0-1>

To view a Special Edition MLN Matters article on this topic, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0713.pdf <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549981-0-0-0-1>

For a list of the 10 MSAs where the bidding program is set to roll out, and for additional information on competitive bidding, see http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549982-0-0-0-1>

Check future issues of HomeCare Monday for continuing coverage, or visit www.homecaremag.com <http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10912-128-28595-51908-549983-0-0-0-1> for more information.