WASHINGTON, DC – A new website has been launched to prepare durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers for Medicare’s Round 2021 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program (CBP).
The DME CBP website offers useful information and easy-to-understand tools to help DMEs better understand Medicare’s new competitive bidding program, how a bid for the lead item impacts the rest of the items (non-lead items) in the product category, and how those single payment amounts (SPAs) would compare to current Medicare rates. It will also serve as a platform for webinars and events intended to educate prospective bidders about the process.
Prospective bidders from across the country will be able to use the enhanced bid calculators to estimate how bids on lead items will impact rates for other related items in 16 bidding categories. The site’s bid calculators employ the ratios developed by the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor, but also provide more contextual information, including rates currently in effect and how results for non-lead items compare to current rates in both dollar amount and by percentage.
“Informed bidding will help sustain DME businesses, therefore ensuring that patients’ access to life-changing medical equipment remains steady, stable, and secure,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare. “We’re excited to work with leaders industrywide to produce these valuable tools.”
Five industry leaders collaborated on the DME CBP website: the American Association for Homecare, the Council for Quality Respiratory Care, VGM & Associates, and the Healthcare Nutrition Council.