The American Association for Homecare has asked Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Kerry Weems to extend the 10-day contract evaluation window for round one of competitive bidding.

The American Association for Homecare has reported that it has been contacted by more than 100 providers concerning “irregularities or mistakes” made by the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) that it says “appear to have triggered improper disqualification of round one bids submitted by durable medical equipment companies.”

The letter also asks for postponement of Round One and for a meeting to discuss problems in the bidding program, and states that, “The vast majority of examples that we have collected indicate that suppliers who were inappropriately disqualified were removed from the bidding process for reasons related to financial documentation, accreditation, or single-bid requirements.”
 
The letter goes on to say, “We have identified numerous DME suppliers who are being treated by CMS and the CBIC in a fundamentally unfair manner. The majority of these aggrieved companies have made every effort to comply with the new and complex rules of competitive bidding. The improper determinations and other actions by CMS and its contractor risk doing immeasurable harm to the homecare industry and the patients we serve.” READ THE LETTER

Because of the volume of incoming concerns and complaints regarding round one contracts, AAHomecare has created an ONLINE FORM to help providers contact the association. It has also requested affected providers contact their representative and senators, as well.