American Association for Homecare Seeks Competitive Bidding Delay

FDAnews Device Daily Bulletin
June 29, 2007 Vol. 4 No. 128

American Association for Homecare Seeks Competitive Bidding Delay
The American Association for Homecare it is seeking to extend the bidding window and registration deadline for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Competitive Bidding Program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS).
Under the Competitive Bidding Program, the CMS will use bids submitted by DMEPOS suppliers to establish single payment amounts for DMEPOS provided under Medicare Part B in certain “competitive bidding areas” (Device Daily Bulletin, April 10). All bids are due by July 13.
The association cited “severe technical problems” with the process and said it is working with lawmakers to request extensions in the program timetable. However, homecare providers subject to the first round of bidding should operate under the assumption that the current deadlines will not change, it said.
The association also expressed concerns about the “late dissemination of critical information” and said numerous questions about the program have not been adequately answered.