RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--How ready are small HME providers for accreditation and competitive bidding? CMS wants to find out.

Following four small-provider focus groups held during Medtrade Spring, CMS contractor Research Triangle Institute has scheduled additional sessions--two on May 4 in Dallas and two more on May 5 in Chicago--to gain insight about the impact of competitive bidding and accreditation on small DME providers.

The Medicare Modernization Act requires DME competitive bidding to begin in 2007, and requires providers to gain accreditation to maintain their Medicare supplier numbers. The law also stipulates that the government take "appropriate steps" to ensure small providers can participate.

RTI said it is looking for providers with annual revenue of $3 million or less and/or those who employ fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees. "We are particularly interested in hearing from the very small DMEPOS suppliers (grossing less than $1.5 million) to assist CMS in considering alternatives for the protection of small DMEPOS suppliers," according to a notice posted on the CMS Web site last week. "We welcome participation of both accredited and non-accredited suppliers to gain an understanding of the impact to small suppliers."

One attendee of a previous focus group said that RTI asked questions about how prepared small providers were for accreditation, wanted insight on the inclusion of mail-order businesses in the bidding process, and asked what kinds of documents would help establish a financial standard for HMEs. CMS has said that to participate in the bidding program, providers will need to meet quality standards--including financial standards--which have yet to be determined.

"[Our focus group was] independent-minded," said Rick Graver, owner of Reno, Nev.-based Medtech Services, describing his overall impression of the April 7 session. "We're going to do everything we need to do to be in compliance, but [we also] want to be left alone to take care of our business."

Details of next week's focus groups are:

May 4
Delve Focus Group Facility in Farmer's Branch, Texas
Focus Group A: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Focus Group B: 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

May 5
Fieldwork Chicago--O'Hare in Chicago, Ill.
Focus Group C: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Focus Group D: 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

For the convenience of providers who may be flying in, the sessions have been located near airports in both cities.

Space is limited to 16 participants per session, and registration is on a first-come basis. To register for one of the focus groups, providers must e-mail ssfocusgroups@rti.org by April 27 with the following information:

• business name
• mailing address
• phone number
• estimated 2004 gross revenue
• accreditation status
• number of full-time equivalents
• primary product categories

Providers not attending the focus groups are asked to submit comments through the same e-mail address.

For more on the small-provider focus groups, visit the notice posted on the CMS Web site by clicking here.