Durable Medical Equipment:
Round 2 Of DME Bidding Adds Nationwide Diabetic Supplies
Published on Tue Jul 26, 2011
Program expands to 91 metro areas in 2013. If your patients aren't affected by competitive bidding for DMEPOS yet, they probably will be soon. Round 1 of competitive bidding for durable medical equipment began in January in nine metro areas for nine product categories of bid items. Now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched Round 2, which will take effect in July 2013. In this round, bidding will spread to 91 metro areas nationwide and include new product categories -- negative pressure wound therapy pumps and nationwide mail-order diabetic testing supplies. Although Round 2 adds some items, it actually has fewer categories because it combines manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, and scooters into one expanded category, CMS explains in a fact sheet about the program. Round 2 will not include Group 2 complex rehabilitative power wheelchairs while CMS evaluates the product's "suitability" for the program. The other Round 2 [...]