Page 25 - HME Business, February 2018

and value of your current accreditor and to investigate alterna- tives,” Zacharias suggests. “It is a best practice to assure you understand all the fees that might be included in your total cost for accreditation. Many accreditors have annual fees that are not clearly connected to the price, but are part of the busi- ness expense for your accreditation.”
Accrediting New Business Lines
Diversi cation of revenues and mergers and acquisitions activity are two trends that will impact accreditation renewal. How should providers approach reaccreditation if it will include accrediting new business lines either through expansion, or through a purchase?
“If they the provider is adding new business lines, I would strongly suggest they notify their AO ahead of the visit,” she says. “Then I would have them look at what is required by the payer. If it’s a Medicare item, then look at LCD.
“Also, look up any state licensure or certi cation require- ments,” Canally adds. “Make sure the staff is trained on the new product and that the provider has access to the product’s manufacturer agreement.”
In the case of a purchase, Zacharias says everything hinges on how the purchase took place.
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dmepos accreditation
“If a purchased business’ tax ID and name changes they cannot transfer accreditation,” she says. “No matter who a provider’s accrediting organization is, they would need to apply for new accreditation.
“If a provider has acquired new facilities that carry product lines their business did not provide before, they would need to ensure the required processes and procedures for each product is in place,” Zacharias adds.
And really, that advice applies throughout the renewal process. As Canally notes, “Bottom line, if the provider has questions about the upcoming renewal, it should reach out to the AO.” n
“Providers need to be careful with regard to the states because, some of the states with licensure have changed their requirements.”
— Sandra Canally, RN, The Compliance Team.
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