CMS Announces Deadline Delay for Face-to-Face Encounter for DME

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 AANP MESSAGE UPDATE:

AANP's Federal Health Policy Office has been working to ensure the CMS face-to-face encounter requirements mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for certain items of DME does not go into effect on October 1, 2013.  AANP has announced that CMS has issued another delay in implementation-see this:  http://cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Monitoring-Programs/Medical-Review/FacetoFaceEncounterRequirementforCertainDurableMedicalEquipment.html. 

As the CMS news release states, the delay will continue until CMS makes further comments sometime in calendar year 2014. This is the second CMS delay, the first postponement was announced in June 2013, so your letters are being read! CMS is concerned that some may need additional time to establish operational protocols necessary to comply with this new law. AANP will continue to pursue a legislative resolution to permanently solve this problem.  Thank you for all of your continued dialogue with your Members of Congress. CMS clearly heard your concerns and has responded with this additional delay. Thank you again for your advocacy!

Jean Aertker, Region 11 AANP Director
Gail Sadler, AANP State Representative