Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

The starting bell has sounded for the next round of competitive bidding -- but home health agencies will have to wait a few months before they're actually in the fight.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledges that it hasn't provided suppliers all of the details they need to think through their competitive bidding strategies. CMS announced the 70 new cities for bidding and broad product categories Jan. 8.

"We aren't quite there yet," said CMS' Joel Kaiser at the Jan. 9 home health Open Door Forum, referring to the agency's need to release specifics such as the HCPCS codes of products included and ZIP codes of areas affected within the 70 competitive bidding areas (CBAs). "We felt that people needed to know as early as possible" the details that CMS had settled on, said Kaiser.

CMS announced recently that all DMEPOS suppliers must be accredited by Sept. 30, 2009. That means that unaccredited phase-two bidders could face longer lines than usual when they apply for accreditation.

The agency plans to release the following information in the spring:

• ZIP codes to define specific affected areas within the larger metropolitan areas already named;

• HCPCS codes for specific products within the categories already announced;

• a date for the start of registration for bidding;

• opening and closing dates for bidding; and

• an effective date for contracts.

To stay current on bidding, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/competitiveacqfordmepos.