The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services continued its efforts to prep providers for the re-compete of Round Two of its competitive bidding program. In this weeks MLN Connects newsletter the agency reminded DMEPOS providers that the re-compete was coming soon, both for Round Two’s competitive bidding areas, as well as the national mail-order program.
CMS is required by law to re-compete contracts under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program at least once every three years. Contracts for Round Two expire on June 30, 2016, and the agency announced the Round Two re-compete in July.
The rough, initial schedule outlined by CMS:
- July 15, 2014 — CMS began pre-bidding supplier awareness program.
- Fall, 2014 —CMS is slated to announce the bidding schedule; begin bidder education program: and bidder registration period to obtain user ID and passwords begins.
- Winter, 2015 — Bidding begins.
For providers interested in bidding, CMS advised do the following in order to prepare:
- Review and update their enrollment records.
- Obtain necessary licensure.
- Obtain accreditation.
CMS also advised providers to visit the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website at www.dmecompetitivebid.com to:
- Find a listing of the product categories, competitive bidding areas, timeline, and other bidding information.
- View a schedule of educational events.
- Register to receive email updates.
Providers with questions or that need assistance, can call the CBIC customer service center at (877) 577-5331 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.