DMEPOS Accreditation Delay for Pharmacies
On October 13, 2009, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3663, which delays from October 1, 2009, to January 1, 2010 the requirement for pharmacies that supply Medicare durable medical equipment to meet certain accreditation requirements. Note that the legislation does not affect the accreditation requirement for pharmacies to qualify to bid in a Medicare DME, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive acquisition area. The National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) has issued guidance on the application of the new pharmacy accreditation policy, clarifying that this extension pertains only to pharmacies supplying DME; entities registered with the NSC as DME suppliers with a pharmacist on staff do not qualify for the extension. Moreover, pharmacies that were not accredited prior to the October deadline are not subject to the revocation of Medicare billing privileges. Any pharmacy that wishes to withdraw a previously-submitted voluntary termination request must submit a letter to the NSC by October 23, 2009.
