Medicare Part B DME Accreditation and
Competitive Bidding Resource Center

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the bid submission, registration, and accreditation deadlines for the first round of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.

All bids are now due by 9 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on September 25. Suppliers that have already submitted their bids may revise and resubmit their bids until the new deadline. Suppliers that resubmit bids must submit a new certification statement.

Suppliers interested in bidding must first register and receive a User ID and Password before they can access the internet-based bid submission system. CMS has reopened registration. The registration deadline is now August 27.

Suppliers must be accredited or be pending accreditation to submit a bid and will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline is now October 31.

CMS is revising the contract periods. The contract period for mail order diabetic supplies is now July 1, 2008  March 31, 2010. The contract period for all other first round product categories is now July 1, 2008  June 30, 2011.

CMS is providing a targeted period to address suppliers' remaining questions on the competitive bidding program. To help ensure that answers are available as soon as possible, please e-mail your questions to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) no later than August 10. The e-mail address is cbic.admin@palmettogba.com.

There are revised customer service hours at the CBIC. Effective immediately, the CBIC help desk will be available to assist you from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. You may call the help desk at 877-577-5331.

For additional assistance and resources, refer to the Bid Application Tool Kit.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) with support from Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care, is providing this online resource center to clear the confusion and provide up-to-date, fact-based information on DMEPOS accreditation and competitive bidding.

Resources on this site provide information on and explanation of accreditation and competitive bidding, as well as forms and documentation to begin the accreditation process. By registering for DMe-alerts, you will receive the latest information on accreditation and competitive bidding delivered to your computer desktop, as it becomes available.

Check this site often as NCPA's William Popomaronis, R.Ph., NCPA's vice president, long term and home health care pharmacy services, will be sharing his thoughts, interpretations, and explanations on the latest DME information from CMS and how it will affect community pharmacists through a blog.