"The new CMS supplier standards will have a significant impact on accreditation standards, as all accrediting organizations must incorporate them within their existing accreditation standards," said Tom Derrick, director, public relations, marketing and professional discipline, for the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics.

"This effectively establishes the CMS supplier standards as a baseline set of minimum competency standards; all DMEPOS organizations must meet these standards, regardless of which accrediting organization they chose to work with," Derrick added.

During a Jan. 22 conference call on accreditation sponsored by CMS--the first of four teleconferences planned on the subject--the agency's Sandra Bastinelli reiterated that each accrediting body "must accredit based on our supplier standards."

Bastinelli repeated upcoming accreditation deadlines: Jan. 1, 2009, for providers applying to the National Supplier Clearinghouse before March 1, 2008; on or after March 1, 2008, those seeking enrollment must be accredited prior to submitting an application; and by Sept. 30, 2009, all providers must be accredited. The agency has not released the date by which providers must be accredited for round two of competitive bidding.

CMS is accepting comments on the proposed standards rule until March 25. After that, what the final standards will look like--and when they might take effect--is anybody's guess.

"There's a public comment period, and what is proposed at this point in time may look very similar or it may not," said Gwen Franzgrote, director of HME services for the Community Health Accreditation Program. "We are encouraging organizations to review [the proposed standards] and be prepared for what may be final."

And what about those businesses that are already accredited? Will accrediting organizations have to reassess them for compliance with any new standards?

"That's based on how [CMS] applies the new standards to the already-accredited organizations," said Franzgrote.

In other words, no one yet knows.

CMS has scheduled its next teleconference on accreditation April 17.

For a list of CMS' approved DMEPOS accrediting organizations.