By: Not tomorrow, but relatively soon. And with a vengeance! We knew the current Competitive Bidding Program moratorium wouldn’t last forever, and that the floodgates that opened as of the first of this year would eventually be reined in.
Indeed, on March 7, 2019 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced a new round of Competitive Bidding, which will commence on January 1, 2021 and last through December 31, 2023.
The largest changes from previous rounds of Competitive Bidding that immediately stand out are:
- No more National Mail Order Competitive Bidding Program for diabetic testing supplies. This is a big change from the 2013 and 2016 bid rounds.
- Perhaps long overdue, Off-the-Shelf back and knee braces will finally be included in the Competitive Bidding. The lack of necessary state licensure in many jurisdictions and relatively high reimbursement rates of these DME products have made them targets for fraud, waste, and abuse.
If you’re interested in participating in the 2021 Competitive Bidding Program, the time to act is NOW. Bid registration opens in just three months time! Familiarize yourself with the many educational ‘fact sheets’ that CMS puts out to learn what it takes to become a participating supplier and stay tuned for more updates as new information becomes available.
