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The race is on for suppliers bidding in the first round of Medicare's competitive acquisition program for home medical equipment.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opened the initial registration process for suppliers on April 9. Initial registration gives suppliers the opportunity to secure a user ID and password that they can use to bid electronically. The agency has moved quickly since releasing the competitive bidding final rule April 2 (see Eli's HCW Vol. XVI, No. 12).
Essential: CMS will accept only electronically submitted bids. "Interested suppliers will submit their bids using an internet application," confirms the agency on its competitive bidding Web site at
www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS. "We strongly recommend that [suppliers register] well before the bid window opens to avoid a delay in being able to submit bids," CMS warns.
Mark your calendar: Bidding is currently scheduled to open in late April.