Temporary Relief on DMEPOS Accreditation

During an open door conference call today, September 3, 2008, staff from the Centers from Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that for now, Physicians and Opticians are among those exempt from meeting the September 2009 deadline for DMEPOS accreditation.

This exemption stems from an added subparagraph (154b) to the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) indicating that CMS may exempt eligible professionals and others while CMS determines if the quality standards are applicable to those individuals.

Dispensaries seeking a supplier number through the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) either for a new supplier number or to reactivate a number previously deactivated may submit or resubmit applications for processing. The need to be accredited prior to processing these applications no longer applies.

For the time being, this is great news for optical dispensaries. Efforts will continue to secure an exemption specifically for post-cataract eyeglasses.