Bidding is Now Open for the Round 2 and National Mail-Order Competitions of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now soliciting bids for the Round 2 and national mail-order competitions of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. All bids must be submitted in DBidS, the online bidding system, by 8:59:59 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time on March 30, 2012. All required hardcopy documents that must be included as part of the bid package must be RECEIVED by the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) on or before March 30, 2012. The contract period for the Round 2 and national mail-order competitions is July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2016. All bidders must submit certain required hardcopy documents as specified in the Request for Bids (RFB) Instructions<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/Palmetto/Cbic.Nsf/files/R2_RFB.pdf/$File/R2_RFB.pdf>. CMS urges all bidders to take advantage of the covered document review process. Under this process, we will notify suppliers that submit their hardcopy financial documents by the covered document review date (CDRD) of any missing financial documents. The CDRD for the Round 2 and national mail-order competitions is February 29, 2012 - financial documents must be RECEIVED on or before February 29, 2012 to qualify for the covered document review process. This process only determines if there are any missing financial documents. It does not indicate if the documents are acceptable, accurate, or meet applicable requirements. Suppliers that submit financial documents by the CDRD will be notified of any missing financial documents within 90 days of the CDRD. Suppliers will be required to submit the missing financial document(s) within 10 business days of the notification. Competitive bidding areas and product categories for the Round 2 and national mail order competitions, DBidS information, bid preparation worksheets, educational materials, and complete RFB instructions can be found on the CBIC website. Suppliers should review this information prior to submitting their bids. CMS will send important bidding updates via e-mail, so all suppliers interested in bidding are urged to sign up for e-mail updates on the CBIC website (at www.DMECompetitiveBid.com<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/>). If you have any questions about the bidding process, please contact the CBIC Customer Service Center at 1-877-577-5331. The target registration dates for authorized officials (AOs) and backup authorized officials (BAOs) to register for a user ID and password in CMS' Individuals Authorized Access to the CMS Computer Services (IACS) system have passed. End users (EUs), as well as any AOs and BAOs who have not yet registered, should now be registering. Only suppliers that have registered in IACS and received a user ID and password will be able to access the online bidding system and submit bids. If the AO for your company has not already registered, we cannot guarantee that he or she will be able to complete the registration process before registration closes. If your AO does not register, you cannot bid and will not be eligible for a contract. In addition, suppliers whose AOs have not registered are at risk of experiencing delays in accessing the online bidding system to get a bidder number and thereby missing the opportunity to submit financial documents by the CDRD. Registration will close on February 9, 2012 at 9 p.m. prevailing Eastern Time - no AOs, BAOs, or EUs can register after registration closes. Suppliers that do not register cannot bid and are not eligible for contracts. Registration is typically a quick and easy process if you follow the step-by-step instructions in the "IACS Reference Guide" posted on the CBIC website. To register, visit the CBIC website<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/> and click on "REGISTRATION IS OPEN" above the Registration Clock on the homepage. You will also find a registration checklist and Quick Step guides on the CBIC website<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/>. Please note that suppliers with multiple locations typically must register only one Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) that will submit the bid for all locations. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the CBIC Customer Service Center. To bid, visit the CBIC website<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/> and click on "BIDDING IS OPEN" above the clocks on the homepage. Please note that the RFB instructions initially posted on the CBIC website contained target bid submission deadlines. CMS is in the process of updating these instructions to reflect the actual bid submission deadlines, which are shown in this announcement. ________________________________ Flu Season is Here! While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high risk patients, should get vaccinated too. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. 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