Mandated by CMS through the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003
Now all DMEPOS facilities must be accredited by September 30th, 2009. This requires that every Home Medical Equipment company, Pedorthic facility and Orthotic and Prosthetic Office be accredited in order to attain or retain their Medicare provider status to bill Medicare. New providers and any provider who moves or has a change in ownership or services provided must be accredited before they are issued or allowed to retain their Medicare provider number. All existing providers must achieve accreditation by September 30, 2009. Without Accreditation in place you will not be able to bill Medicare for services provided. Anyone who needs Accreditation must have their application submitted to the Accrediting Organization by January 30, 2009 or there will be no assurance they can successfully attain Accreditation by September 30, 2009.
This is not something to take lightly, do not wait until the last minute. Simply presuming you are ready could cause serious delays in your ability to remain in business. Your business will be at risk.