Significant Changes to Home Medical Equipment Program Loom
In a move seen by many durable home medical equipment providers as a positive development, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is pausing its competitive bidding program beginning January 1, 2019. The program has been the target of criticism from durable medical equipment (DME) stakeholders since its inception.
According to the cms.gov website, CMS has decided to temporarily delay moving forward with the next steps of the Round 2019 Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program to allow the new administration further opportunity to review the program.
WASHINGTON – All Medicare-enrolled HME providers are back in business starting Jan. 1, 2019.
CMS stated in a July 18 proposed rule that when the current competitive bidding contracts expire Dec. 31, 2018, any Medicare-enrolled provider will be able to provide DMEPOS items to beneficiaries, until the agency initiates that next round of the program with significant changes.
“This is another indication that the program is broken and needs to be fixed,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “CMS is, once again, talking about the need to make sure the DME benefit is viable and the need for stakeholder input.”
The proposed rule follows a May 11 interim final rule that reinstated 50/50 blended reimbursement rates in rural areas from June 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2018.
Any Medicare-enrolled provider may be able to provide DMEPOS items on Jan. 1, but they’ll have to…click here to continue.
