DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Round 2 Recompete and National Mail-Order Recompete Announced

WASHINGTON (July 15, 2014)—On July 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to recompete the supplier contracts awarded in Round 2 of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. CMS is required by law to recompete contracts under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program at least once every three years. The Round 2 contract period for all product categories expires June 30, 2016. Round 2 Recompete The Round 2 Recompete product categories are: Enteral Nutrients, Equipment and Supplies General Home Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories (includes hospital beds and related accessories, group 1 and 2 support surfaces, commode chairs, patient lifts and seat lifts) Nebulizers and Related Supplies Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Pumps and Related Supplies and Accessories Respiratory Equipment and Related Supplies and Accessories (includes oxygen, oxygen equipment and supplies; continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices and respiratory assist devices (RADs) and related supplies and accessories) Standard Mobility Equipment and Related Accessories (includes walkers, standard power and manual wheelchairs, scooters and related accessories) Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Devices and Supplies A list of the specific items in each product category is available on the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website. CMS is conducting the Round 2 Recompete in the same geographic areas that were included in Round 2. However, as a result of the Office of Management and Budget’s updates to the original 91 Round 2 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), there are now 90 MSAs for the Round 2 recompete. The Round 2 Recompete competitive bidding areas (CBAs) have nearly the same zip codes as the Round 2 CBAs. However, certain zip codes have changed since Round 2, and CMS has updated the CBAs to reflect the changes. Also, CBAs that were located in multistate MSAs have been defined so that no CBA is included in more than one state. A list of the zip codes included in each CBA is also available on the CBIC website. National Mail-Order Recompete CMS will also be conducting the National Mail-Order Recompete for diabetic testing supplies at the same time as the Round 2 Recompete. The National Mail-Order Recompete will include all parts of the United States, including the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Important Dates To ensure that suppliers have ample time to prepare for the competition, CMS has announced the following next steps for the program. July 15, 2014 CMS begins pre-bidding supplier awareness program Fall 2014 CMS announces bidding schedule CMS begins bidder education program Bidder registration period to obtain user ID and passwords begins Winter 2015 Bidding begins If you are a supplier interested in bidding, prepare now—don’t wait. Review and Update Enrollment Suppliers must maintain accurate information on its CMS-855S with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) and in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).

• Contact information (name, Social Security number, and date of birth) for authorized official(s) and correspondence address
• Products and services furnished by the enrolled location(s)
• Each state in which the enrolled location(s) provides items and services

If you have only one authorized official listed on your enrollment file, consider adding one or more eligible authorized officials to help with registration and bidding. It is important to note that if your file is not current at the time of registration, you may experience delays and/or be unable to register and bid. Get Licensed Contracts are only awarded to suppliers who meet all state licensure requirements by the close of the bid window. Therefore, you must have all required state licenses for the physical location(s) that provides the items in the product category(s). Each physical location on your bid must be licensed for the product category by the state in which it provides items and services. Suppliers bidding in the National Mail-Order Recompete must possess all applicable licenses in order to be awarded a contract in this competition. Copies of these licenses should be on file with the NSC and in PECOS. A licensure guide for each state, the District of Columbia and the territories are located on the National Suppler Clearinghouse website. These guides provide general licensure requirements for each product category included in the Competitive Bidding Program and contact information for each state’s licensing board or agency. These are only guides. Licensing requirements change periodically, and it remains the responsibility of the bidding supplier to identify and obtain all required licenses. For more information about licensure requirements, please consult the appropriate license issuing agency listed on the guides or call the NSC at (866) 238-9652. Get Accredited In order to submit a bid, each supplier location must be accredited by a CMS approved accrediting organization for the items they provide in a product category. Suppliers who are interested in bidding for a product category and who do not have its location(s) currently accredited for that product category must take action now to get accredited for that product category. Accreditation organizations report any accreditation updates to the NSC, so it is important that you get accredited early so your information will be up to date. CMS cannot contract with suppliers that are not accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization. Further information on the DMEPOS accreditation requirements along with a list of the accreditation organizations and those professionals and other persons exempted from accreditation, are available on the Medicare Provider-Supplier Enrollment website. Improved CMS Website In conjunction with the Round 2 Recompete and the National Mail-Order Recompete, CMS has updated the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding website. The website has been streamlined, so users will be able to easily navigate the webpages by specific rounds and topics. For the latest information on the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, visit cms.gov/dmeposcompetitivebid.