Home Health & Hospice Week

Waiting game may be dangerous for suppliers, feds say.

It's anybody's guess when Medicare will declare all suppliers of home medical equipment must be accredited to stay in the game--but smart suppliers are forging ahead.

That's the latest from officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who addressed the topic of mandatory accreditation for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) at the home health Open Door Forum on Aug. 29.

Firm deadline: Officials speaking at the forum did note that any supplier in the first 10 areas affected by competitive bidding should already have their applications in.

The deadline for having secured accreditation for those suppliers is Oct. 31--and no further extensions are expected, officials suggest.

"Just because you apply for accreditation doesn't mean you will get accredited," cautioned CMS' Sandra Bastinelli, adding that the process of securing accreditation takes on average four months.

Some accrediting organizations have told CMS that suppliers have asked for more time to prepare for accreditation surveys, a vital step in the accreditation process. "No one should be calling to delay the onsite survey," she warned.

Though CMS has told accrediting organizations to focus their immediate efforts on suppliers submitting bids in the first round of Medicare's new DMEPOS competitive bidding program, suppliers in other areas are urged to pursue their credentials as well.

"We will be requiring accreditation (for DME suppliers)," reminded another CMS official fielding a follow-up question from a caller.

Resource: For a list of organizations approved by CMS, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS and scroll down to select "Deemed Accreditation Organizations for Suppliers of DMEPOS."