CMS Tells Non Accredited DME Pharmacies: Act Now or be Revoked
In light of the fact that Congress has not yet passed a permanent exemption for pharmacies from DME accreditation requirements, CMS has told NCPA that they will start sending revocation notices after Friday, February 12th to pharmacies that are not yet fully accredited or in the accreditation process. For pharmacies that are in the accreditation process, they have until March 1st to get their accreditation done and submitted to CMS. Pharmacies that have sent in a surety bond, but 1) will not have their accreditation finished by March 1st ; or, 2) have elected not to be accredited, must either have “stepped down” from selling DME supplies (using an 855S application) or voluntarily terminated from the program by Friday, February 12th.
If you sent in an 855S in late September or early October to “step down”, you may have to send in a “step down” application again to the NSC. CMS may not have processed that application because of the 3-month accreditation extension that was granted at that time.
While each pharmacy will have to make its own business decision, if a pharmacy ‘steps down”, it will take less time to get back into the program than if CMS revokes a pharmacy’s billing number. If an unaccredited pharmacy’s DME billing number is revoked, however, the pharmacy will not be able to get back into the program for another year according to CMS.
NCPA continues to work with Congressional leadership to pass another extension or permanent exemption, and hopes that will happen in the very near future. Please contact us with any questions. Thank you.