CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) should be applauded for recently implementing mandatory accreditation that will provide closer inspection of suppliers who will be allowed to bid for contracts under the new competitive bidding process being implemented. While suppliers and manufacturers have various concerns about whether competitive bidding for power wheelchairs and scooters is going to be an effective and efficient process for delivering mobility equipment to Medicare beneficiaries, there is resounding support within the industry for mandatory accreditation. In fact, the industry has called for swifter implementation of this important safeguard than the government’s own timeline.

The industry, however, is concerned that the highly public CMS campaign to fight fraud is overshadowing a developing crisis for Medicare beneficiaries.

In 2007, a CMS forecast said that 243,000 Medicare beneficiaries would medically require a power wheelchair or scooter. But the Medicare power mobility benefit was utilized by only 170,000 beneficiaries, leaving more than 70,000 people who did not get the power wheelchairs or scooters they need to improve their mobility and quality of life.

We fear that new policies and regulations from reimbursement cuts to coverage policy and coding changes have caused many suppliers to go out of business or stop providing power mobility equipment. The result is that it becomes more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to find suppliers to fill their prescriptions.

Competitive bidding is adding another new wrinkle, with an uncertain impact on suppliers. The industry supports CMS efforts to eliminate Medicare fraud, including new regulations that help achieve that goal. But we also need for the agency to stay aware of the impact and burdens that its policies can place on legitimate, law-abiding suppliers, and more importantly, Medicare beneficiaries. The most vulnerable people in our society deserve a Medicare process that works, and improves their quality of life.