Accreditation: Moving forward during the moratorium

Q. What are alternative revenue paths for new providers?

A. If you were planning to launch a DMEPOS business this year, the new CMS moratorium may feel like a door slamming in your face. On February 27, 2026, the agency initiated a six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollment and Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) issuance for DMEPOS suppliers.

But Medicare isn’t the only doorway to revenue for your new business. You can still get accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation organization (AO). And with that accreditation, you can pursue contracts with skilled nursing home and hospice organizations. In both channels, demand for quality DMEPOS suppliers is steady, you bill the facility directly – and Medicare doesn’t enter the picture.

Skilled nursing home contracts

Nursing home administration requires DMEPOS accreditation by a CMS-approved AO, but it does not require a PTAN. You invoice the nursing home, and the nursing home pays you. Consider starting in one specialty area and then expanding:

• Enteral nutrition: Feeding pumps, IV poles, feed/flush bags, specialized formula
• Mobility aids: Wheelchairs, walkers, and staff training on use and maintenance
• Advanced equipment: Oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, defibrillators, remote monitoring tools

Hospice contracts

Hospice providers are required to contract only with accredited DMEPOS suppliers to equip terminally ill patients whether at the hospice facility, in a nursing home or at home. The supply opportunities closely mirror those in skilled nursing, with enteral nutrition, mobility aids and respiratory equipment all in demand.

Hospice covers 100% of DME costs related to the terminal illness. Invoice the hospice organization directly, and they pay you. Medicare stays out of the transaction entirely.

Tap into your resources

If you’re like most new DMEPOS suppliers, you’re working with an outside consultant to navigate the accreditation process. That same consultant can help you evaluate these contract opportunities and map a path forward.

Diversifying now is more than a defensive move in the face of the current moratorium. It’s also an opportunity to build a resilient business model ready to navigate whatever this industry throws at you next.

Sandra Canally, RN, is founder and CEO of The Compliance Team.