DMEPOS Accreditation Deadline is September 30, 2009
CMS Encourages Suppliers to Submit Applications by January 31, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to ensure that suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) who bill Medicare for Part B services have ample time to complete the accreditation process and thus receive an accreditation decision by the September 30, 2009 deadline. In order to meet this deadline, CMS is encouraging all enrolled DMEPOS suppliers, except those eligible professionals and other persons exempted by law, to submit a complete accreditation application to an accreditation organization by January 31, 2009.
The accreditation requirement applies to suppliers of durable medical equipment, medical supplies, home dialysis supplies and equipment, therapeutic shoes, parenteral/enteral nutrition, transfusion medicine and prosthetic devices, prosthetics and orthotics. Pharmacies, pedorthists, mastectomy fitters, orthopedic fitters/technicians and athletic trainers must also meet the September 30, 2009 deadline for DMEPOS accreditation. A DMEPOS supplier that wishes to become accredited should contact an Accreditation Organization and obtain information about the accreditation process.
Section 302 (b) (1) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), required the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and implement quality standards for DMEPOS suppliers, except those eligible professionals and other persons exempted by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). In order to retain or obtain a Medicare Part B DMEPOS number, all DMEPOS suppliers must comply with these standards and become accredited.
Certain eligible professionals and other persons are exempted from the accreditation requirement including physicians, physical and occupational therapists, qualified speech-language pathologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, registered dietitians/nutrition professionals, orthotists, prosthetists, opticians and audiologists.
Further information on the DMEPOS accreditation requirements along with a list of the accreditation organizations may be found at www.cms.hhs.gov/medicareprovidersupenroll.
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Flu Shot Reminder
It's seasonal flu time again! If you have Medicare patients who haven't yet received their flu shot, you can help them reduce their risk of contracting the seasonal flu and potential complications by recommending an annual influenza and a one-time pneumococcal vaccination. Medicare provides coverage of flu and pneumococcal vaccines and their administration. - And don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect yourself, your patients, and your family and friends. Get Your FluShot - Not the Flu.
Remember- Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug.
Health care professionals and their staff can learn more about Medicare's coverage of the influenza vaccine and other Medicare Part B covered vaccines and related provider education resources created by CMS, by reviewing Special Edition MLN Matters article SE0838 http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0838.pdf on the CMS website.
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