Home Health & Hospice Week

The deadline for DMEPOS suppliers to obtain accreditation is coming up fast -- and suppliers who miss it could face a steep penalty. Suppliers who bill Medicare under Part B must obtain accreditation before Oct. 1 or risk losing their Medicare billing privileges for an entire year, cautioned Jim Bossmeyer from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the Sept. 9 Home Health, Hospice, and DME Open Door Forum.

Problem: If a supplier didn't seek accreditation by Jan. 31, 2009, they won't meet the deadline, asserts CMS' Sandra Bastinelli. "It takes six or seven months to get accredited, so if you're applying now," you're too late -- and CMS can't help you catch up with the rest of the pack.

CMS will notify all suppliers who miss the Oct. 1 deadline. If those suppliers are still enrolled on Oct. 31, CMS will kick them out of the program.

Better solution: Encourage any suppliers you work with who won't be accredited on time to voluntarily terminate their enrollment in the Medicare program before the implementation date, Bossmeyer said. That way, suppliers avoid the year-long revocation and they can return to the program as soon as they're accredited.

However, a supplier's choice to not obtain accreditation means that company can't bill for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries during the time period it is absent from Medicare, CMS notes. While the supplier can re-enroll, it can't bill until the National Supplier Clearinghouse issues it a DMEPOS supplier number.

Important: If your suppliers believe they are accredited but get a notification from CMS saying  they aren't or a NSC revocation determination,they should appeal for a reversal, Bossmeyer said.

Next step: Make sure you know which of your DMEPOS suppliers are accredited, Bossmeyer stressed. If they aren't, other accredited suppliers may be able to take over their services while they work on accreditation, he noted.