The Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program, with nine competitive bidding areas implemented on January 1 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is "going very smoothly,” according to the agency. “We continue to deploy a wide array of resources across all of the competitive bidding areas to address any concerns that may arise.”
In most cases, Medicare beneficiaries who obtain medical equipment and supplies in the nine competitive bidding areas will need to get them from the Medicare suppliers that were awarded contracts in order to have the items covered under Medicare, according to CMS.
“CMS continues to monitor the implementation of the program very carefully,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD. Since its launch, CMS has received only a handful of beneficiary complaints and has acted quickly to resolve each one. “We urge all stakeholders to bring any issues to our attention in order for our caseworkers to resolve them as quickly as possible.”
