Comment Period on CMS’s Revised DMEPOS Supplier Standards Closes March 25
On January 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services added to the Federal Register an 11-page proposed revision to Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies Supplier Enrollment Safeguards.
The proposed rule (download a PDF version) includes various changes to existing standards as well as additional standards. CMS is soliciting comments on these rules until March 25.
Changes and additions in the proposed rule include:
• Changes to standards related to signage, hours of operation, staffing and access to provider location, such as requiring staff to be on-site during hours of operation, which could be problematic to small or specialized providers who often are mobile or don’t operate retail sites.
• A proposal to require that providers obtain oxygen from state licensed oxygen suppliers operating in states that require such licenses, regardless of whether the oxygen supplier is located in another state.
• Changes to liability and product liability insurance coverage requirements.
• Changes to how employees and contractors are classified.
Comments should be sent to the following: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Regulations Development Group Attn.: William Parham, CMS–6036–P Room C4–26–05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850; and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503. Attn.: Carolyn Lovett, CMS Desk Officer, CMS–6036–P, [email protected]. Fax (202) x395–6974.
This article originally appeared in the March 2008 issue of HME Business.