CMS Posts DME Provider Provision Summary  

CMS Posts DME Provider Provision Summary  

As part of the CY 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model; Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program Updates; DMEPOS Accreditation Requirements; Provider Enrollment; and Other Medicare and Medicaid Policies final rule, CMS developed a document that outlines the finalized provisions for DME providers/suppliers.  These provisions are effective January 1, 2026.  CMS will provide more information in the coming weeks as to how and when the provisions will be implemented. 

The principal categories of provisions include: 

  • Frequency of Surveys and Reaccreditation – DMEPOS suppliers have long been required to be resurveyed and reaccredited at least every 36 months (3 years). The final rule reduces the survey and reaccreditation period to at least once every 12 months. 
    • A DMEPOS supplier’s annual resurvey and reaccreditation cycle will not begin until the expiration of the supplier’s current 3-year reaccreditation cycle (issued prior to the final rule effective date). More information from CMS on this issue will be provided in the coming weeks.  
  • Stricter Requirements for Becoming and Remaining a DMEPOS AO – The final rule contains provisions that strengthen CMS’ oversight of the DMEPOS AOs. 
  • Unannounced Surveys – The final rule reiterates the current practice that all DMEPOS AO surveys of DMEPOS suppliers must be unannounced. 
  • Elimination of Temporary Accreditation – Under current 42 CFR § 424.57(c)(23), a DMEPOS AO may accredit a new location for an existing DMEPOS supplier for 3 months after it is operational without requiring a new site visit. The final rule removes this provision. Effective January 1, 2026, all DMEPOS suppliers must be surveyed before being accredited so we can confirm that the location meets the quality standards.  
  • Sampling – sampling allows large chains to have a percentage of their locations surveyed. CMS will allow sampling moving forward. Current methodologies will be allowed to continue, and CMS will engage with stakeholders prior to making any large shifts in sampling methodology in the future. 
  • Change in Majority Ownership – Under new 42 CFR § 424.551, a DMEPOS supplier undergoing a change in majority ownership within 36 months of initial enrollment or from their last in majority ownership (as that term is defined in § 424.551) must – unless one of § 424.551’s exceptions applies – enroll as a new DMEPOS supplier and be surveyed and accredited.  

Be sure to review this document for additional detail that is not encompassed in this notice. 

If you have questions about these provisions and how they might affect you, email the CMS mailbox at dmeaccreditation@cms.hhs.gov.  For questions specific to your Medicare enrollment or your current accreditation with a particular AO, however, you should contact your National Provider Enrollment Contractor (NPEC) or DMEPOS AO, respectively.