On July 15, 2008, Congress passed H. R 6331, which is officially titled “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.”  President Bush actually vetoed the bill, but both the House and the Senate overturned it.  You can see a summary of the law here.

This law includes a passage about revamping quality measures:

–Requires all suppliers to be accredited by Oct. 1, 2009. Ensure that all suppliers, whether they are billing Medicare directly or are a subcontractor to another supplier, be subject to accreditation.
–Requires contracting suppliers to disclose all subcontracting relationships to CMS.
–Excludes physicians and other practitioners from DMEPOS accreditation requirements until CMS develops provider-specific standards. Allow CMS to waive physician accreditation if the agency determines they are subject to other mandatory quality requirements.
–Establishes a separate ombudsman within CMS to handle supplier and beneficiary issues related to the competitive bidding program.

This law is significant because it is will exclude physicians and therefore oncology practices from undergoing this extensive accreditation process. 

MTR passed the ACHC accreditation process this past spring on March 12, 2008.  We are here to answer any questions you have regarding this bill and the quality measures.  Please feel free to call our toll-free number: 1-888-250-5699.

Stay tuned to MTR’s blog to get the latest information on any future amendments to this bill!

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