Contracting
On October 27, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the single payment amounts (SPAs) for the Off-The-Shelf (OTS) Back Braces and OTS Knee Braces product categories included in Round 2021 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) and began awarding contracts in certain competitive bidding areas (CBAs). There will be no competitive bidding contracts awarded for product categories other than OTS back and knee braces in Round 2021. Please see the CMS announcement for additional information. Round 2021 contracts are scheduled to become effective on January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2023. CMS plans to announce the contract suppliers this fall. Learn about contract supplier obligations and more on the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website.
Contract suppliers are required to fulfill the obligations of their contracts for the duration of the contract performance period. For additional information, contract suppliers should review their Round 2021 contract and the Contract Supplier Obligations, Monitoring, and Education fact sheet. Starting January 1, 2021, beneficiaries with Original Medicare who obtain competitively bid items in CBAs must use a Round 2021 contract supplier for Medicare to pay, unless an exception applies. For a list of exemptions, please see the Exemptions from the Requirement to be a Contract Supplier for Competitively Bid Items and Services fact sheet.
If a bid was disqualified, bidders received a bid disqualification notice in Connexion, the program’s secure portal. In accordance with section 1847(b)(12)(B) of the Social Security Act and 42 CFR §414.424(a)(2), there is no administrative or judicial review of the awarding of contracts under the DMEPOS CBP. However, CMS provides bidders that receive a bid disqualification notice the opportunity to submit an inquiry regarding the bid disqualification(s), otherwise referred to as the bidder inquiry process. Bidders have 30 calendar days from the issue date of the disqualification notice to submit an inquiry in Connexion for the bid disqualification(s) to be reviewed. For more information, please see the Bidder Inquiry Process fact sheet.
Resources
DMEPOS CBP Web Chat
Updated: 10/27/2020