NHIA Working for You!
Are You Prepared to Meet Medicare’s September 30th Accreditation Deadline?
(June 16, 2009)
NHIA has learned from several members that it may not be safe to assume that your accreditation from an approved accrediting agency automatically includes the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Quality Standards. Some home infusion therapy pharmacies that believed they were accredited for these standards have learned from the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) that they are not—and have had to go back to an accrediting agency to schedule an additional survey. Time is running out to fit in such surveys before the September 30th deadline so don’t delay in seeking affirmation from the NSC regarding your accreditation status.
NHIA strongly recommends that home infusion pharmacies do the following immediately after you believe your pharmacy has achieved DMEPOS accreditation:
- File a CMS-855S form with the NSC to inform it that you are accredited (see Section 2G of the form)
- Follow up with the NSC if you do not receive a timely confirmation that acknowledges your record of accreditation has been accepted.
NSC verifies your 855S against records of accreditation received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that are obtained from the agencies deemed as DMEPOS accreditors.
To help you find information on Medicare’s accreditation requirement and keep you updated with critical information, we have established the NHIA Medicare Accreditation Resource Center.