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Revised ACCREDITATION Deadlines FOR DMEPOS Competitive Bidding!
In order to participate in the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program, suppliers must meet quality standards and be accredited by a CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organization. Suppliers that are interested in bidding in the second round of the program must be aware of changes to two key deadlines:
ü Suppliers must be accredited or have applied for accreditation by July 21, 2008 (change from May 14, 2008) to submit a bid for the second round of competitive bidding. CMS cannot accept a bid from any supplier that is not accredited or that has not applied for accreditation by July 21, 2008. ü Suppliers will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline for the second round of competitive bidding is January 14, 2009 (change from October 31, 2008). Suppliers must be accredited before this date to be awarded a contract. Suppliers should apply for accreditation immediately to allow adequate time to process their applications.
CMS has extended these deadlines because a significant number of suppliers in the 70 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) included in Round Two of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program have not yet applied for accreditation. Suppliers in these MSAs that do not meet these accreditation deadlines cannot become DMEPOS competitive bidding contract suppliers and will therefore be unable to furnish competitively bid items to any beneficiary residing in any part of the competitive bidding area during the contract period.
Suppliers can determine if they are serving beneficiaries in a Round 2 MSA by visiting the following web site: http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metrodef.html and looking up their MSAs in the section called “counties with metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area codes.” (In this file, MSAs are called CBSAs.) For example, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA is comprised of two counties: Los Angeles and Orange.
We urge all suppliers serving Medicare beneficiaries in the 70 Round Two MSAs to apply for accreditation now.
For a list of the CMS-approved Deemed Accreditation Organizations, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/01_Overview.asp. For information about the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding program, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/ .
TO: IPA Members FROM: John Giampolo April 23, 2008 PRS/NASI DME ACCREDITATION PROCESS BEGINS MAY 1, 2008
The official start for on-line registration for DME accreditations will begin on May 1, 2008. IPA has contracted with PRS/NASI, the registration company, to process your application for accreditation through the American Board of Certification (ABC). ABC is approved by CMS and is the accreditation company. PRS/NASI will shepherd your pharmacy through the accreditation process with all necessary policies, procedures and documents.
PROGRAM FEES – Normal Process: This accreditation takes approximately one (1) year. § 3 Year Accreditation Fee: Additional $250 Discount through July 31, 2008 o LIMITED DME Supplier = $3,497 ($3,247 if registered by July 31, 2008) o FULL DME Supplier = $3,997 ($3,747 if registered by July 31, 2008) § Pharmacies that require immediate accreditation for bidding or other purposes will require a “Fast Track” process and will be charged the following fees: Limited DME Supplier = $4,747 and Full DME Supplier = $4,997.
TIMELINE NON-BIDDING PHARMACIES: Must be accredited by September 30, 2009 § May 1, 2008 – July 31, 2008 – Sign-up early and SAVE $250
TIMELINE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PHARMACIES:
TO REGISTER: 1. Starting on May 1, 2008, please register by logging onto: www.prsrxnetwork.com 2. Click on the “SIGNUP” button and complete the step-by-step process. 3. You will need the following information on hand to sign up: a. Non-Bidding Pharmacies Group Code: IPA08521 b. Competitive Bidding Pharmacies Group Code: IPA08521CB 4. After completing the on-line registration, your account will go to an approval process. Once approved, you will be notified by NASI and can begin completing the necessary work to meet Group Accreditation Protocols. This process may take 1-2 days.
If you have any questions or have any problems registering on-line, please call NASI at PRS/NASI at 1-866-606-3211 or nasi@prsrxnetwork.com.
If you would like to pre-register with PRS for more information, please visit their website www.prxrxnetwork.com and click on pre-register. Be sure to mention that you are a member of Independent Pharmacy Alliance on your pre-registration online form. TO: IPA Members FROM: John Giampolo March 13, 2008 A Cost-Effective Solution for DMEPOS Accreditation from IPA through *NASI (an affiliate of PRS)
Mandatory Accreditation to supply Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS), including Diabetic Supplies, is now a reality for independent pharmacies. Accreditation is required by September 30, 2009 to maintain a Medicare Provider Number and to continue billing for DMEPOS, including diabetic supplies, for Medicare beneficiaries. CVS and Walgreens have already accredited their 12,000 pharmacies and all major chains are doing the same. Accreditation is necessary regardless of your participation in competitive bidding. In addition, state Medicaid’s, PBM’s and other private insurers will soon be adopting the Medicare accreditation requirement. Until now, there has not been a cost-effective way for independents to become accredited. The process has been expensive and disjointed. However, IPA has found an industry-leading, simple, cost-effective solution and is now offering it to our valued member pharmacies. Leveraging the IPA Network for Cost Savings: IPA is creating an accreditation network of its pharmacies, enabling our members to accredit at a group level rather than individually. This significantly reduces the cost of accreditation for all participating members. We expect the cost to be about $3,000 for three years ($1,000 / year). Combining High-Touch and High Tech for a Hassle-Free Preparation: IMPORTANT: Participating network members are assigned an Accreditation Specialist to assist them through the accreditation process. Using an intuitive software package and a web-based interface from *Network Accreditation Services, Inc. (NASI), a PRS Pharmacy Services affiliate company, participants can complete the preparation steps at their leisure and receive feedback on the completion. Pharmacies can log on to the NASI website, upload and retrieve information, receive alerts, submit required documentation electronically, and immediately have access to all of the standards, required patient handouts, policies, procedures and forms necessary for accreditation. Patient information is even available in Spanish. Questions; email your Accreditation Specialist to receive the in-person support you need to quickly answer your question and help with the process. Education, training and information is provided via seminars (live and web-based), DVD training, teleconferences and web-based instructions making it easy for you and your staff to prepare your pharmacy when and where it is most convenient. Page 2 March 13, 2008 Creating a Best-in-Class Network: IPA is all about creating a best-in-class network of independent pharmacies. In order to qualify to join the IPA Accreditation Network, each pharmacy must complete the preparation process and meet the NASI Network Admission Protocols (NAP). Once a pharmacy has met the NAP, they become eligible for accreditation through the Accreditation Organization BOC.
The NASI DMEPOS Accreditation Program includes: ü Complete Education—DMEPOS Accreditation and Competitive Bidding: What Pharmacy Retailers Need to Know, available on-line or CD plus teleconferences and web training ü Complete Instructions on Preparation—Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the pharmacy for accreditation and how to meet the CMS Standards ü Three-Year User Software License—Software contains the standards, policies, procedures, required patient handouts and forms required for accreditation. All patient handouts are in both English and Spanish. ü Accreditation Specialist— Participating network members are assigned an Accreditation Specialist who is available to answer specific questions on preparing for and maintaining accreditation. ü Accreditation by BOC—included in the cost are accreditation fees from BOC, a CMS approved Accreditation Organization. ü On-going Monitoring for Three Year Accreditation Period—the Accreditation Specialist will remain in contact with the pharmacy to assist in maintaining on-going compliance so re-accreditation is made easy. ü Special bonus—a $100 voucher is awarded to each pharmacy when accredited. The voucher can be applied toward one of three NCPA items; a new or renewed membership, the long-term care seminar, or the therapeutic shoe seminar.
This PRS / NASI program is available to IPA / FPN members only through IPA. (IPBG members will get the program through IPBG.) Please discard any other mailings about PRS you may have received. IPA will be sending out sign-up details, participation agreements and an application in the near future. Do not delay in signing-up once you receive them!
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