BALTIMORE--Supplier standards and accreditation are expected to be hot topics at the next meeting of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee. The 22-member panel, which is advising CMS on the implementation of DME competitive bidding, will meet Sept. 26-27 in Baltimore.

Other items on the meeting agenda include discussion of the impact competitive bidding will have on consumers and rural areas, and results from small supplier focus groups held earlier this year.

The panel also will hear how the bidding program will impact specific segments of the industry. Presentations from beneficiary organizations and blood glucose systems are set for Sept. 26, and presentations focusing on HME, respiratory equipment including oxygen, rehabilitation equipment and assistive technology, orthotics and prosthetics and enteral nutrition are scheduled on Sept. 27, according to an agenda released by CMS last week.

"I see these panels as being a real opportunity for the committee and the agency staff to dig deeper into these specific areas to understand what impact competitive bidding will have," said PAOC member Jean Minkel, president of Minkel Consulting, New Windsor, N.Y. "We feel like there are times that the agency looks at DMEPOS as just one entity," she explained, adding that it looks like CMS "has done a really nice job [with the agenda] in understanding that orthotics and prosthetics have a very different service delivery model than oxygen therapy."

The meeting also will feature a public Open Door conference call that will include a presentation of CMS' proposed supplier quality standards and regulations, and time for public comment. Details on how to participate in the Sept. 26 call have not yet been announced.

The entire meeting, which is expected to run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days, is open to the public. Those who wish to attend must register by e-mailing sean.dalenberg@cms.hhs.gov or writing Sean Dalenberg, Mailstop C5-08-27, 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244. Each registrant must provide the following information: name, telephone number, e-mail address, company name and address. Fax transmissions will not be accepted, and registrations must be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 16.

For more information on the PAOC and to view the meeting agenda, click here.