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Medicare DME Competitive Bid Program

By Elaine Massaro posted 05-27-2013 19:36

  

Recently I attended an educational program attended by Illinois CDEs and after the presentation we discussed the critical events that will take place effective July 1st. The Medicare DM testing supply reimbursement will be a challenging concern for all educators and our Medicare patients with diabetes. We need to be proactive and join together with ideas that will assist one another in our state. What suggestions can you share with all of us?  Check out the Michigan blog related to the same topic and see what they are doing. What can we share with our neighboring state? What can we learn from one another?

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Caren Bryant
08-02-2013 13:47

CB information

Elaine,


Recently while working with a patient to get her test strips, her pharmacist gave me the Medicare phone # 800-633-4227.  I got to speak with a live person--no menu needed!  Chauncey sent via e-mail, information based on the patient's zip code.  The information was a link to winning CB contractors and a list by contractor of which meters were provided by them.  I have also been working very closely with my vendors, specifically Abbott and Lifescan.  Abbott is NOT on any of the winning CB contracts, but I'm assured by my rep patients may still go to the Big Box stores and have their Abbott test strips supplied and covered by Medicare without any extra paperwork on our part.  The LifeScan rep advised me of the same, although Lifescan is updating a list of those mail order CB contractors who are supplying Lifescan strips.


I also was under the impression CMS was going to mail order only for diabetes testing supplies.  I don't have a way to attach a link to this note, but the date of the release was today.  The information is "If beneficiaries don't want their dibatic testing supplies delivered to their home, they can go to any local store (local pharmacy or storefront supplier) that's enrolled with Medicare and buy them there."


Hope this information is helpful and not "old news" for you.

Elaine Massaro
06-18-2013 01:23

links shared through My AADE Network

Attachment Links: Competitive
Bid HCP Sales Aid (2).pdf (327 k)   Retail and
Mail Order Medicare Part B HCP Sales Aid (2).pdf (1077 k)  

Elaine Massaro
06-04-2013 03:46

"no switch rule"

How can we, as educators, inform our patients that there is a 'no switch rule', that CMS has instituted Competitive Bidding, that their product is decided based on cost to distributor not necessarily qualtiy of product?  Has anyone found a good way to inform their patients?  

Elaine Massaro
06-03-2013 21:48

Medicare DME Competitive Bid

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