The OIG has issued two reports on Medicare market share of mail-order diabetes test strips – one examining the market share before the start of Medicare mail-order competitive bidding in July 1, 2013 and a second report examining the three-month period after competitive bidding went into effect. By way of background, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) prohibited CMS from awarding competitive bidding program contracts for mail order diabetes test strips to suppliers that do not demonstrate that their bid covers at least 50%, by volume, of all types of mail order diabetes test strips. MIPPA also requires the OIG to complete a study to determine market shares of diabetes test strips in the competitive bidding program.

In a report entitled “Medicare Market Shares of Mail Order Diabetes Test Strips Immediately Prior to the National Mail Order Program,” the OIG provides a baseline for the 3-month period of April to June 2013. Based on a sample of 1,210 claims, the OIG concluded that 152 suppliers submitted at least 62 types of mail order diabetes test strips during this period, with two types of diabetes test strips accounting for approximately 34% of the Medicare mail order market share, four types accounting for 51%, and 10 types accounting for 75%.

In a second report, “Medicare Market Share of Mail Order Diabetes Test Strips from July–September 2013,” the OIG examined a sample of 1,210 Medicare claims in the first three-months of mail-order competitive bidding. According to the OIG, 22 suppliers submitted at least 43 types of mail order diabetes test strips in this period, but two types of diabetes test strips accounted for approximately 45% of the Medicare mail order market share, three types of diabetes test strips accounted for 59% of the market share, and 10 types accounted for 90%. The OIG did not make recommendations in the report, but noted that CMS may choose to consider these data when determining whether subsequent rounds of suppliers’ mail order diabetes test strip bids comply with the MIPPA 50% requirement.