CMS publishes ‘get ready’ message on licensure, accreditation

WASHINGTON – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) website on July 15 with a reminder to get licensed and accredited.

Step 1: Get licensed

The agency noted that all locations on a bid must collectively have current, non-expired state/territory licenses in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) by the close of the bid window, which will open later this year.

To stay on track CMS says to:

• Make sure your CMS-855S Medicare Enrollment Application is up to date with your Medicare Enrollment Contractor (National Provider Enrollment (NPE) Eastern Region DMEPOS contractor (NPEAST) or NPE Western Region DMEPOS contractor (NPWEST)).
• Review the DMEPOS State Licensure Databases on the Medicare Enrollment Contractors’ websites to confirm which licenses are required for your product category(s):
  • NPEAST
  • NPWEST
• Verify that all applicable licenses are reflected in PECOS for every location included on your bid.

“If a license is current but could expire before the bid window closes, you must renew it and have the updated dates entered in PECOS before the close of the bid window,” CMS states.

Step 2: Get accredited

Each location on your bid must be accredited by a CMS-approved accrediting organization for all lead and non-lead items in the product category you are bidding by the close of the bid window. Key points to know:

• CMS cannot award contracts to bidders that do not meet accreditation requirements.
• Accreditation exemptions do not apply to the DMEPOS CBP. All pharmacies must be accredited to be eligible, regardless of any general exemptions (e.g., Section 3109 of the Affordable Care Act).
• A list of CMS-approved DMEPOS accreditation organizations is available on the CMS website.

“If your locations are not yet accredited, take action immediately, as accreditation can take time to process and must be reflected in PECOS before the bid window closes,” the agency states.

Reminder: Moratorium

CMS also included a reminder about the six-month temporary moratorium on new provider enrollments, effective Feb. 27, 2026.

“If you are within the scope of the moratorium and need to enroll a new supplier location to bid in Round 2028 of the DMEPOS CBP, the time to prepare is now,” the agency stated. “To position yourself for success, you should have your completed enrollment application ready to submit as soon as the moratorium period concludes. Ideally, aim to submit within one week of the moratorium's end date to provide your Medicare Enrollment Contractor sufficient time to process your application before the DMEPOS CBP Round 2028 bid window opens.”