CMS NEWS
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: CMS Media Relations
December
11, 2014
(202) 690-6145 or press@cms.hhs.gov
CMS Announces Next Phase in
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) today announced the bidding timeline for Round 2 Recompete and the
national mail-order recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment,
Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program, as
required by law. CMS also launched a comprehensive bidder education program.
This program is designed to ensure that DMEPOS suppliers interested in bidding
receive the information and assistance they need to submit complete bids in a
timely manner.
The
DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program changes the amount Medicare pays for certain
DMEPOS while maintaining beneficiary access to items and services and quality
of care. The program replaces the outdated, inflated fee-schedule prices
Medicare paid for these items with lower, more accurate prices to help Medicare and its
beneficiaries save money while ensuring access to quality equipment, supplies,
and services. This program also helps limit fraud and abuse in Medicare.
“Today
marks another step forward in ensuring access to quality health care for
millions of Medicare beneficiaries,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “The DMEPOS competitive bidding program has
proven to be effective in obtaining fair prices for quality equipment like
wheelchairs and walkers.”
The Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program has saved more than $580 million in the nine markets at the end of the Round 1
Rebid’s 3-year contract period due to lower payments and decreased unnecessary
utilization. Additional savings are being achieved as part of the Affordable
Care Act’s expansion of the competitive bidding program—at the end of the first
year of Round 2 and the national mail-order programs, Medicare has saved
approximately $2 billion. Furthermore, the monitoring data show that the
implementation is going smoothly with few inquiries or complaints and no
changes to beneficiary health outcomes.
CMS is required by section 1847(b)(3) of the Social
Security Act to recompete contracts under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding
Program at least once every three years. Suppliers must then compete to become
a Medicare contract supplier by submitting bids to provide certain items in
competitive bidding areas. The new, lower payment amounts resulting from the
competitions replace the fee schedule amounts for the bid items in these areas.
The
Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) is the official
information source for bidders and the focal point for bidder education. The
CBIC website, www.dmecompetitivebid.com, features an array of important and helpful resources
for suppliers, including the bidding timeline, bidding rules, short
instructional videos, user guides, fact sheets, checklists, and bid preparation
worksheets. To sign up to receive important competitive bidding announcements
and reminders, suppliers are encouraged to subscribe to E-Mail Updates
on the CBIC website.
In addition to viewing the information on the CBIC
website, suppliers are encouraged to call the CBIC customer service center
toll-free at 1-877-577-5331 with their questions. During registration and
bidding periods, the customer service center will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Eastern Time.
# # #
Also,
today CMS issued a fact sheet on the timeline for the DMEPOS
Competitive Bidding at:
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