Take Action Now to Prepare for the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program
MLN Matters® Number: SE0915
Related Change Request (CR) #: N/A
Related CR Release Date: N/A
Effective Date: N/A
Related CR Transmittal #: N/A
Implementation Date: N/A
Provider Types Affected
Suppliers of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) that wish to participate in the upcoming Round 1 Rebid of the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program.
Provider Action Needed
In order to participate in the 2009 Round 1 Rebid of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, suppliers will be required to register in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) security system known as the Individuals Authorized Access to the CMS Computer Services (IACS). This includes suppliers that bid in the first round of competition in 2007 and are interested in competing in the Round 1 Rebid. CMS urges suppliers planning to bid in the 2009 bidding cycle to be sure that they have provided the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) an updated CMS-855S (Medicare Enrollment Application), with any changes made concerning their Authorized Official(s) information and correspondence mailing address which have occurred since their last CMS-855S submission. The accuracy of this data is critical for successful bidder registration.
Background
In this year’s bid cycle, suppliers who wish to bid will need to first register in IACS once the registration window opens. There will be three user roles available, which are described as follows:
- Authorized Official (AO) – Each supplier's organization will be allowed one AO. The AO role can approve all other users associated with their organization who are requesting access to the bidding system. The AO will be able to input bid data, approve Form A and certify Form B in the bidding system.
- Backup Authorized Official (BAO) - Each supplier organization is encouraged to designate one or more BAOs. This applies when the organization has additional personnel who qualify as an AO. In this role, the BAO can approve the supplier’s End User registration for access to the bidding system. Like the AO, the BAO can also input bid data, approve Form A and certify Form B in the bidding system.
- End User - Each supplier organization will be allowed one or more End User(s). The End User can input bid data, but cannot approve Form A or certify Form B
Save Time and Potential Delay by Verifying CMS-855S Information Prior to Registering to Bid
Only those AOs listed on the CMS-855S as an AO can register in IACS to approve and certify as described above for the AO and BAO user roles. As part of the CMS-855S, a supplier designates one or more AO(s). The AO means an appointed official (for example, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, general partner, chairman of the board, or direct owner) to whom the organization has granted the legal authority to enroll it in the Medicare program, to make changes or updates to the organization’s status in the Medicare program, and to commit the organization to fully abide by the statutes, regulations and program instructions of the Medicare program.
Take Action Now
Be sure the most recent CMS-855S submission is current and accurate. In particular, this concerns:
- The AO’s personal identifying information, including the AO’s legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number (SSN) as on file with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Make sure the AO’s legal name, date of birth and SSN in sections 6 and 15 of the CMS-855S reflects that which is on file with SSA. Reviewing a Social Security card or most recent Social Security Statement is a fast and easy way to verify information on file with SSA. If the information on file at SSA is not correct, then you should immediately contact SSA and have the correction made.
- The supplier’s correspondence mailing address as reflected in section 2A2 of the CMS-855S.
If any of these data elements have changed since your last submission of the CMS-855S to the NSC or if the AO’s personal identifying information on the CMS-855S does not exactly reflect that which is on file with the SSA, and then you should PROMPTLY complete a change of information on the CMS-855S. Remember, any change of name reported to SSA should also be reported to the NSC on the CMS-855S.
CMS urges suppliers to do it now. The NSC processing time to complete a change of information on the CMS-855S is approximately 45 days, and all submissions are processed in the order in which they are received.
Overview of IACS Registration Process
For an AO, the verification of his/her legal name, date of birth and SSN must be validated against SSA’s records and AO data maintained by the NSC. The NSC received this AO data when the supplier completed its most recent CMS-855S. The AO's legal name, date of birth, and SSN are listed in sections 6 and 15 of the CMS-855S. If the AO legal name, date of birth and SSN data input into IACS during registration does not match SSA’s records and NSC AO data, the registration will be rejected.
Following successful registration, as an added measure of security, the AO's User ID and password are then mailed in two separate correspondences to the mailing address listed in section 2A2 of the CMS-855S.
The BAO goes through the same verification process described above for the AO and the AO for the organization must approve a BAO's request for access before a User ID and password will be e-mailed to the BAO. The BAO must be listed on the CMS-855S as an AO, sections 6 and 15. It is critical that the BAO’s legal name, date of birth and SSN data input into IACS during registration matches SSA’s records and NSC AO data, otherwise the BAO registration will be rejected.
End Users do not need to be listed on the CMS-855S as an AO. However, their legal name, date of birth and SSN will be verified against SSA’s records, and the AO or BAO for the organization will need to approve an End User’s request for access to the bidding system.
Do I need a BAO role?
The establishment of a BAO is encouraged, if the organization has someone that can occupy the BAO role, to avoid any disruption in the bidding process. The AO's role is instrumental to bidding, as the AO's role must be active to avoid all other users of the organization from losing access to the bidding system. If the AO leaves the organization, the BAO role can be changed to an AO role by the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) Help Desk.
Additional Information
This article provides you with an overview of the registration process. More detailed instructions will be published in future MLN Matters® articles, listserv messages, and other announcements.
Disclaimer
This article was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. This article may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is only intended to be a general summary. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. We encourage readers to review the specific statutes, regulations and other interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of their contents.