The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to add “country of origin” as an informational requirement for lead items provided by durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers chosen for the agency’s Medicare competitive bidding program.
The recommendation is part of the Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the Expanded HH Value-Based Purchasing Model; Medicare Provider Enrollment, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), and DME, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) proposed rule, released July 1.
In the accompanying fact sheet, also released July 1, CMS said it’s proposing “an enhancement to the DMEPOS competitive bidding program designed to better inform beneficiaries and caregivers, empowering them to make well-informed healthcare decisions.”
CMS recommends revising the DMEPOS competitive bidding reporting form (form C) “to include a new country of origin field for lead items furnished by contract suppliers. During an active round of the DMEPOS CBP [competitive bidding program], form C collects product information such as manufacturer name, model name, and model number, which is then displayed in the Medicare Supplier Directory on medicare.gov. The new country of origin information also would be added to the Medicare Supplier Directory, giving Medicare beneficiaries and other interested parties the country of origin for their medical equipment included in the DMEPOS CBP.”
The proposed rule would pass the “country of origin” task on to suppliers, who will need to look for product markings that indicate country or origin, or “by obtaining documentation such as manufacturer certifications, commercial invoices, or customs entry records.”
