RALEIGH, N.C.--Though the agency requested that specifics be kept under wraps for now, CMS discussed concerns about its final supplier quality standards in a two-hour conference call Thursday with representatives from eight accrediting organizations, several of whom called the session productive.

"Among all the accreditors we came up with more than 40 questions that we sent to CMS," said Tom Cesar, president of the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, which organized and hosted the call. "[CMS] responded to all of them, and the session was very helpful."

Cesar added that the agency has asked for time to review the call, but then will make the Q&A session available to the public on its Web site.

MaryAnn Popovich, executive director of home care accreditation services for JCAHO, also said she felt the call led to a "very positive discussion and was very productive." And, she said, CMS reiterated that its Oct. 2 deadline for applications from accreditors seeking "deeming authority" to apply the standards is firm because the agency "is very committed" to processing those applications within one month "and making decisions by Nov 2."

According to a recent HomeCare provider survey, 54 percent of unaccredited HME providers say they are waiting to begin the process until CMS names its approved accrediting bodies.

Mandated by the Medicare Modernization Act, all DMEPOS suppliers must meet the quality standards and become accredited to participate in Medicare competitive bidding and, at some point, to continue as Medicare providers. CMS issued its final quality standards in mid-August--whittled down from 104 draft pages to only 14. While some in the industry welcomed the scaled-down standards, others said that they lack "enough meat" to raise the bar, pointing out that some accreditors' current standards are much tougher.

But Mary Nicholas, executive director of HQAA, said CMS confirmed that providers would have to meet only its final standards as issued.

"With the CMS standards, we are not going to lose quality in the industry but we are going to gain quality because so many more providers will be stepping into that arena. This is a great opportunity to continue to raise the bar," Nicholas said. "It's time for [HME providers] to lose that Rodney Dangerfield persona."

Said Cesar, "This has been an anxious time for all of us. Now the pressure is on the accreditors."