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  • 2013
• Newsletter

DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 1 Recompete Announced

DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 1 Recompete Announced

CMS announced plans to recompete the supplier contracts awarded in the Round 1 Rebid of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.  CMS is required by law to recompete contracts under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program at least once every three years.  The Round 1 Rebid contract period for all product categories, except mail order diabetic supplies expires on Dec 31, 2013.  The Round 1 Recompete product categories are:

• Respiratory Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories
• Includes oxygen, oxygen equipment, and supplies; continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, respiratory assist devices (RADs), and related supplies and accessories; and standard nebulizers
• Standard Mobility Equipment and Related Accessories
• Includes walkers, standard power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, and related accessories
• General Home Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories
• Includes hospital beds and related accessories, group 1 and 2 support surfaces, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices, commode chairs, patient lifts, and seat lifts
• Enteral Nutrients, Equipment and Supplies
• Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Pumps and Related Supplies and Accessories
• External Infusion Pumps and Supplies   

CMS is conducting the Round 1 Recompete in the same competitive bidding areas (CBAs) as the Round 1 Rebid.   

A list of the specific items in each product category is available on the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website.  The specific ZIP codes in each Round 1 Recompete CBA are also available on the CBIC website.   

To ensure that suppliers have ample time to prepare for the competition, CMS announced the following next steps for the program:

• Spring 2012
• CMS begins pre-bidding supplier awareness program
• Summer 2012
• CMS announces bidding schedule
• CMS begins bidder education program
• Bidder registration period to obtain user ID and password begins
• Fall 2012
• Bidding begins   

If you are a supplier interested in bidding, prepare now – don’t wait.

• Update your contact information:  The following contact information in your enrollment file at the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) must be up to date before you register to bid.  If your file is not current, you may experience delays and/or be unable to register and bid.  DMEPOS suppliers should review and update:
• The name, Social Security number, and date of birth for all authorized official(s).  If you have only one authorized official listed on your enrollment file, consider adding one or more authorized officials to help with registration and bidding; and

• The correspondence address.

DMEPOS suppliers can update their enrollment file via the internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) or by using the Jul 11, 2011 version of the CMS-855S enrollment form.  Suppliers not currently using PECOS can learn more about this system by accessing the Internet-Based PECOS  page on the CMS website or reviewing the PECOS fact sheet.  Information and instructions on how to submit a change of information via the hardcopy CMS-855S enrollment form may be found on the NSC website.

• Get licensed:  Contracts are only awarded to suppliers that have all required state licenses at the time of bidding.  Therefore, if you are bidding for a product category in a CBA, you must ensure that all required state licenses for that product category are either on file with the NSC or received by the NSC by close of bidding.  Every location must be licensed in each state in which it provides services.  If you have only one location and are bidding in a CBA that includes more than one state, you must have all required licenses for every state in that CBA.  If you have more than one location and are bidding in a CBA that includes more than one state, your company must have all required licenses for the product category for every state in that CBA.   Make sure that current versions of all required licenses are with the NSC before you bid.  If any required licenses are expired or missing from your enrollment file, your bid(s) may be rejected.
• Get accredited:  Suppliers must be accredited for all items in a product category in order to submit a bid for that product category.  If you are interested in bidding for a product category and are not currently accredited for that product category, take action now to get accredited for that product category.  Your accreditation organization will need to report any accreditation updates to the NSC.  CMS cannot contract with suppliers who are not accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization.   

More information about the DMEPOS accreditation requirements, including a list of the accreditation organizations and those who are exempt from accreditation, may be found on the DMEPOS Accreditation page on the CMS website.   

Visit the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding page on the CMS website for more information about the DMEPOS competitive bidding program.  View the Fact Sheet.