Exempt from Accreditation?

CMS Telephonic Conferance Call Wednesday September 3rd brought changes to the mandated Accreditation Process. It was announced Wednesday that physicians, PTs, OTs, qualified speech therapists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, orthotists, prosthetists, pedorthists, podiatrists, optometrists and opticians are exempt from the September 30, 2009 and many others are now exempt. They also stated that this is only a delay in the process as they are revising the Accreditation requirements and Quality Standards for these professionals and will issue the new Standards sometime in 2009.  This seems to be a wide open door to these professionals but there are rules which preclude them from having unlimited exemption.

MOST IMPORTANT - DEADLINE FOR ACCREDITATION APPLICATIONS JANUARY 2009

CMS also announced during this phone conference that there is now a deadline of January 2009 to have your Application in to the Accrediting Organization in order to ensure your ability to complete the process by September 2009. Don't wait as bottle-necking is for sure to happen.

Exemptions were given to individual professionals not product categories:

If a physician is the owner in name only of a DME retail operation they are NOT exempted.

If a physician is dispensing and billing O & P products from his office but he is NOT the one fitting the device, they are NOT exempted. (Physician must be the one dispensing the product)

If a DME supplier is supplying O & P and employ and Orthotist and/or Prosthetist they are NOT exempted

If an O & P facility bills for other items other than O & P they are NOT exempted

Mastectomy Fitters and Orthotic Fitters are NOT exempted

Beginning next week you can read the transcripts from yesterdays conference call at the CMS web site

www.cms.hhs.gov/medicareprovidersupenroll

The Quality Standards with the approved proposed standards should be listed on the CMS web site by next week.

MORE TO COME SOON.....................