DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program
Guidance for Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program that allows DMEPOS suppliers to compete to become contract suppliers.
Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Issue Date: October 10, 2019
DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program Toolkit
How does the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program work?
The Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) allows DMEPOS suppliers to compete to become contract suppliers.
DMEPOS suppliers submit bids to provide certain items of DMEPOS to people with Medicare living in, or visiting, competitive bidding areas (CBAs). We use these bids to set the amount we’ll pay for each item.
We thoroughly screen all suppliers to make sure they:
- Meet applicable state licensing requirements.
- Are accredited for the product category.
- Have an active Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN).
- Meet financial requirements.
People with Original Medicare in CBAs who need competitively bid DMEPOS have to get their items from a contract supplier if they want Medicare’s help to pay.
Why is the Medicare DMEPOS CBP important?
The DMEPOS CBP is important because it:
- Lowers out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare.
- Saves the Medicare program money while making sure beneficiaries can get quality items and services.
- Works with other fraud, waste, and abuse initiatives and has saved over $2 billion per year without negative health outcomes.
What's the Medicare DMEPOS CBP timeline?
All Medicare Round 2021 Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, & Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) Contracts for Off-the-Shelf (OTS) back braces and OTS knee braces expire on December 31, 2023. Starting January 1, 2024, there will be a temporary gap in the DMEPOS CBP.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to conduct bidding for the next round of the DMEPOS CBP after going through notice and comment rulemaking to further strengthen the DMEPOS CBP.
For additional information on the gap period, please see the Temporary Gap Period (PDF) fact sheet and continue to monitor the CMS.gov and Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) websites for updates.
How can I help people with Medicare get more information about the Medicare DMEPOS CBP?
You can tell people with Medicare to call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit Medicare.gov/supplier for more information.
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