May 1, 2009, Home Health & Hospice Medicare A Newsline - CGS

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DMEPOS suppliers who submitted a completed application to an accrediting organization on or beforeJanuary 31, 2009, will have their accreditation decision (either full accreditation or denied accreditation)on or before the September 30, 2009, deadline.DMEPOS suppliers submitting applications to an accrediting organization after January 31, 2009, may ormay not have their accreditation decision by the September 30, 2009, deadline.It takes an average of 6-7 months but could take as long as 9 months for a DMEPOS supplier to completethe accreditation process. Accordingly, DMEPOS suppliers should contact an accreditation organizationright away to obtain information about the accreditation process and submit an application.A DMEPOS supplier’s Medicare Part B billing privileges will be revoked on October 1, 2009, if theDMEPOS supplier fails to obtain accreditation by September 30, 2009.Note: The current delay in the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program has no impact on theSeptember 30, 2009, accreditation deadline.Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)1. Do the accrediting organizations have enough capacity to get everyone who applies at least 9months before September 30, 2009, accredited by the deadline?Yes. The AOs have increased surveyor staffing anticipating the additional workload. A DMEPOSsupplier should choose an AO based upon their deemed status, policies, procedures and the philosophyof the organization. CMS encourages suppliers to ask the AOs questions, such as, how long it takes tobecome accredited from application to accreditation decision. The time to become accredited can takeup to 9 months for some organizations.2. Who are the approved DMEPOS accrediting organizations?In November 2006, CMS approved (deemed) 10 national accreditation organizations that will accreditproviders and suppliers of DMEPOS as meeting new quality standards under Medicare Part B. Most ofthe accreditation organizations are authorized to accredit all major supplier types, and most will be ableto accredit both national and local suppliers, as well as mail order companies. A list of the CMSapproveddeemed accreditation organizations and information about the types of suppliers eachaccrediting organization is approved to accredit and how to contact a deemed accrediting organization isposted athttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/Downloads/DeemedAccreditationOrganizations.pdf onthe CMS Web site.3. Is accreditation transferable upon merger, acquisition or sale of a supplier?Accreditation cannot be transferred upon merger, acquisition or sale of a supplier. As specified in 42CFR 424.57 (c) (3), CMS, the NSC and the accrediting organization must be notified when a newDMEPOS location is opened.Home Health & Hospice May 1, 2009 19Medicare A Newsline Vol. 16, No. 8
4. If I have just recently received a survey by an accreditor, will I be subject to a site visit by arepresentative of the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC)?These actions are independent of one another. The accreditor checks quality standards. The NSC sitevisit concerns enforcing supplier standards. In many cases a new supplier will receive a site survey bythe AO and a site visit by the NSC.5. Is information transferred between the accreditor and NSC?Transfer of information between these two entities concerning their findings does occur. The NSCneeds to know if a supplier is accredited prior to issuing an enrollment number, thus they will need toverify the accreditation status.6. Will the accreditation survey efforts be coordinated with reenrollment efforts?Not at the present time. A supplier must meet both the NSC supplier standards and the accreditationrequirements on a continuous basis. We are not changing reenrollment dates and timeframes to matchsurvey timeframes.Additional InformationIf you have questions regarding this issue, refer to the “Contact Us” page of our Web site and select “PhoneUs” to call the Provider Contact Center.There is additional information on the accreditation process athttp://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/03_DeemedAccreditationOrganizations.asp#TopOfPageon the CMS Web site.Disclaimer: This article was prepared as a service to the public and is not intended to grant rights or impose obligations. Thisarticle may contain references or links to statutes, regulations, or other policy materials. The information provided is onlyintended to be a general summary. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. We encouragereaders to review the specific statutes, regulations and other interpretive materials for a full and accurate statement of theircontents.News from CMS for Hospice ProvidersHospice Cap Calculations Letters and Administrative AppealsThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided the following Medicare LearningNetwork (MLN) Matters article. This MLN Matters article and other CMS articles can be found on theCMS Web site at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticlesMLN Matters Number: MM6400 Related Change Request (CR) #: 6400Related CR Release Date: April 3, 2009 Effective Date: July 1, 2009Related CR Transmittal #: R1708CP Implementation Date: July 6, 2009Home Health & Hospice May 1, 2009 20Medicare A Newsline Vol. 16, No. 8
Page 3 and 4: Medicare Payment Policy Publication
Page 6 and 7: Provider Action NeededAll Medicare
Page 8: Internet-Based Medicare Enrollment
Page 11 and 12: Instructions on Utilizing 837 Insti
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Page 15 and 16: issued as part of CRs 6297 and 6296
Page 17 and 18: Provider Action NeededSTOP - Impact
Page 19: • Clinical Nurse Specialists;•
Page 23 and 24: CMS Proposes Medicare Hospice Fisca
Page 25 and 26: to the “Claims Corrections” sec
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Page 29 and 30: Cahaba Learning CornerMay 2009 Educ

May 1, 2009, Home Health & Hospice Medicare A Newsline - CGS

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