The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the bid submission, registration and accreditation deadlines for the first round of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies Competitive Bidding Program.
All bids are now due by 9 p.m. prevailing Eastern time on Sept. 25. Suppliers that have already submitted their bids may revise and resubmit their bids until the new deadline. Suppliers that resubmit bids must submit a new certification statement.
Suppliers interested in bidding must first register and receive a user ID and password before they can access the Internet-based bid submission system. Registration opened on April 9. The original registration deadline was June 30. CMS has reopened registration and the new registration deadline is now Aug. 27.
Suppliers must be accredited or be pending accreditation to submit a bid and will need to be accredited to be awarded a contract. The accreditation deadline for the first round of competitive bidding was extended to Oct. 31.
CMS has revised the contract periods. The contract period for mail order diabetic supplies is now July 1, 2008 to March 31, 2010. The contract period for all other first round product categories is now July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2011.
There are revised customer service hours at the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC). The CBIC help desk will be available for assistance from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. The help desk can reached at (877) 577-5331.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.dmecompetitivebid.com.
