From the Desk of Ronda: Want to Avoid Supplier Number Issues? Read On!

Published in Government Relations on May 16, 2022

Maintaining a supplier number is vital to the supplier’s business. There is an update and a few reminders that need to be shared with the VGM membership that will assist with sustaining smooth operations.

In January 2022, CMS released an MLN article (MLN 905710) with an update related to accreditation requirements and services being offered a DMEPOS company.

The update states the following, "CMS will deny your claims if you aren’t accredited by a CMS approved accreditation organization. Starting January 3rd, 2022, we’ll tell you on your remittance advice if you aren’t properly accredited."

What this means is that you, as the DMEPOS supplier, need to review the products and services your business furnishes within PECOS (or on the 855S application pages 11-13), making sure it matches the information on file with your accreditation organization. If these do not match, it will cause issues with getting claims paid and possibly cause deactivation of your PTAN. The Supplier Standard to reference is standard 25.

With both the accreditation organizations reviewing certifications and performing site surveys and the revalidations with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC), this is the time to review both sets of information to make sure they match, in addition to asking your billing team if they have received any of these denials.

Secondly, a reminder regarding Surety Bonds, supplier standard 26. A DMEPOS supplier must maintain a valid bond that is no less than $50,000. You need to make sure the bond is maintained at $50,000, and you need to make sure it’s renewed annually. When it’s renewed, this needs to be shared with the NSC. Any issues with a surety bond is a risk for PTAN issues, including potential deactivation.

Finally, make sure the correspondence address and contact information are correct in PECOS (or 855s). Any changes to your business that is relevant to following the supplier standards and maintaining billing privileges must be communicated to the NSC within 30 days of the change (pre or post-change). This falls under supplier standard 2.

Please reach out to me with any further questions regarding your supplier number. Also, let me know if you are experiencing any of these issues.

Supplier Standards DMEPOS Basic Fact Sheet

Ronda Buhrmester
Sr. Director of Payer Relations and Reimbursement
ronda.buhrmester@vgm.com
217-493-5440

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