Deadline and Important Reminders
We would like to remind all suppliers interested in participating in the Round 1 Rebid of the Medicare DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) Competitive Bidding Program that registration for user IDs and passwords is open. If you are interested in bidding, you must designate one Authorized Official (AO) from those listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form to act as your AO for registration purposes, and that AO must register. We strongly urge all AOs to register no later than September 14, 2009, to ensure that AOs have time to designate other supplier employees to use the online bidding system. Suppliers that do not register will not be able to bid when bidding opens.
AOs who successfully register should receive their user IDs and passwords in the mail within 10 days after successful registration. After an AO successfully registers and receives his or her user ID and password, the AO may designate other supplier employees to serve as Backup Authorized Officials (BAO) and/or End Users (EU). BAOs and EUs must also register in order to be able to use the online bidding system. The legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number (SSN) of the AO and BAOs must match what is on file with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) in order to register successfully.
Registering now allows the AO and/or BAO time to correct the supplier’s NSC records if their name, date of birth, and SSN does not match what is on file with the NSC. We recommend that BAOs register no later than October 9, 2009, so that they will be able to assist AOs with approving EU registration. Registration will close on November 4, 2009, at 9:00 p.m. EST – no AOs, BAOs, or EUs can register after registration closes. To register, please go to the Registration section of this website.
We have three additional competitive bidding reminders for suppliers interested in participating in the Round 1 Rebid:
- GET LICENSED: Suppliers submitting a bid for a product category in a competitive bidding area (CBA) must meet all DMEPOS state licensure requirements and other applicable state licensure requirements, if any, for that product category for every state in that CBA. Prior to submitting a bid for a CBA and product category, the supplier must have a copy of the applicable state licenses on file with the NSC. As part of the bid evaluation, we will verify with the NSC that the supplier has on file a copy of all applicable required state licenses.
- GET ACCREDITED: Medicare DMEPOS suppliers, unless exempt, must be accredited by October 1, 2009. Suppliers must be accredited for a product category in order to submit a bid for that product category. CMS will not accept bids from and will not contract with suppliers that are not accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization for the applicable product categories.
If you have already been notified by an approved accrediting organization that each of your practice locations has been accredited, the accreditation organization will notify the NSC that your DMEPOS supplier practice locations have been accredited. However, DMEPOS suppliers that obtain accreditation after September 1, 2009, but before October 1, 2009, should submit proof of accreditation to the NSC via submission of an amendment to their CMS-855S.
Further information on the DMEPOS accreditation requirements along with a list of the accreditation organizations and those professionals and other persons exempt from accreditation may be found on the
CMS website.
- GET BONDED: Medicare DMEPOS suppliers, unless exempt, must obtain and submit a surety bond by October 2, 2009. Suppliers subject to the bonding requirement must be bonded in order to bid in the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program. A list of surety companies from which a bond can be secured can be found on the Department of the Treasury’s “List of Certified (Surety Bond) Companies” on their website at: www.fms.treas.gov/c570/c570_a-z.html. When submitting your DMEPOS surety bond to the NSC, you are required to submit sections 1, 2A1, 12, and either 15 (if you are the AO) or 16 (if you are the delegated official) of the CMS-855S. By submitting the required sections of the CMS-855S, you will help to ensure that the NSC is able to correctly associate your DMEPOS surety bond to your enrollment record.