Reminder: If you are a supplier interested in participating in Round 2 and/or the national mail-order competition of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program, you must register before Thu Feb 9, 2012, at 9pm prevailing Eastern Time. Suppliers that do not register cannot bid and are not eligible for contracts. Don't wait - go to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website at www.DMECompetitiveBid.com<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/> and register TODAY!
Registration is typically a quick and easy process if you follow the step-by-step instructions in the "Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS) Reference Guide<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/Palmetto/Cbic.Nsf/files/R2_IACS_Reference_Guide.pdf/$File/R2_IACS_Reference_Guide.pdf>" posted on the CBIC website. To register, visit the CBIC website 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. 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. The target registration dates have passed for authorized officials (AOs) and backup authorized officials (BAOs). End users (EUs), as well as any AOs and BAOs who have not yet registered, should register NOW. Suppliers may wish to register multiple EUs to help enter bid data in Form B of DBidS, the online bidding system. You will need to complete a Form B for each product category/competitive bidding area (CBA) on which you are bidding. Multiple users (AO, BAOs, EUs) may be in the Form B section of DBidS at the same time as long as each user is entering information for a different product category/CBA. Only suppliers that have registered 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, CMS cannot guarantee that he or she will be able to complete the registration process before registration closes. This is especially a concern if your files with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) are not current and accurate. 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 Covered Document Review Date (CDRD). If you have registered an AO but not a BAO, CMS strongly recommends that a BAO register NOW. The establishment of a BAO is encouraged to avoid any disruption in the bidding process. The individual in the BAO role can assume the AO role if for some reason the AO can no longer fulfill his or her bidding responsibilities. If there is no BAO for a company and the AO leaves the company, all end users associated with the company will lose access to the bidding system. Remember, the AO and BAO must be listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form as an AO. After an AO successfully registers, the AO may designate other authorized officials on the CMS-855S to serve as BAOs; the AO and BAOs can then designate other supplier employees as EUs. BAOs and EUs must also register for a user ID and password to be able to use the online bidding system. The name, date of birth, and social security number of the AO and BAOs must match exactly with what is on file with the NSC to register successfully. The CBIC is the official information source for bidders. All suppliers interested in bidding are urged to sign up for email updates on the homepage of the CBIC website<http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/>. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the CBIC Customer Service Center at 877-577-5331. ________________________________ It's Not too Late to Give and Get the Flu Vaccine. Take advantage of each office visit and protect your patients against the seasonal flu. Medicare will continue to pay for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for all Medicare beneficiaries through the entire flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that patients, healthcare workers and caregivers be vaccinated against the seasonal flu. 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. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
