No. The lump sum purchase option no longer applies to standard power wheelchairs furnished to beneficiaries who permanently reside outside a CBA included in the Round 1 Rebid.

The option to acquire standard power wheelchairs on a lump sum purchase basis is not available in any case for standard power wheelchairs furnished on or after January 1, 2014. 

A contract supplier for Round 1 Rebid is required to offer the beneficiary the option to acquire a standard power wheelchair on a lump sum purchase basis if the power wheelchair is furnished prior to January 1, 2014, and the beneficiary permanently resides within a CBA included in the Round 1 Rebid.

A contract supplier is responsible for repairing equipment that the supplier is currently renting to a Medicare beneficiary, including oxygen equipment furnished after the equipment rental payment cap. 

The monthly rental payments made by Medicare for durable medical equipment (DME) and oxygen equipment include payment for necessary repairs, maintenance and servicing of the rented equipment. For oxygen equipment, the statute and regulations require the supplier to continue furnishing the oxygen equipment after the rental payment cap for any period of medical need for the remainder of the reasonable useful lifetime of the oxygen equipment. A contract supplier may repair the rental equipment itself or subcontract for this service.

CMS recognizes that contract suppliers may not have the training or expertise to repair all brands or types of equipment; therefore, a contract supplier is not obligated to repair beneficiary-owned equipment. Any Medicare-enrolled supplier may perform repairs to beneficiary-owned equipment.

The non-contract supplier must continue to furnish and bill for the rented DME item up to the first “anniversary date” that occurs after the start of the Competitive Bidding Program. (The anniversary date is the day of the month on which the item was first delivered to the beneficiary. Please note that an anniversary date can change if there is a break in service or need of more than 30 days.)

Under no circumstances may the noncontract supplier discontinue services by picking up a medically necessary item prior to the end of a month for which the supplier is eligible to receive a rental payment, even if the last day ends after the start date of the Competitive Bidding Program.

If a beneficiary chooses to switch to a contract supplier, the non-contract supplier and the contract supplier must make arrangements for the pickup of the old equipment and delivery of the new equipment that are suitable to the beneficiary. Such arrangements need to be coordinated between the non-contract and contract suppliers to ensure that the beneficiary has continued access to medically necessary equipment.

The contract supplier can start billing beginning with the first anniversary date that occurs once the Competitive Bidding Program begins.

If a beneficiary who would otherwise be entitled to obtain oxygen from a grandfathered supplier changes to a contract supplier, the contract supplier will be paid at least 10 monthly payment amounts at the single payment amount regardless of how many months the previous supplier was paid.

For example, for rental agreements in months 2 through 26, the new contract supplier will be paid for the remaining rental months of the period. Contract suppliers assuming rental agreements that are in months 27 or later will receive a minimum of 10 payments regardless of how many months the previous supplier was paid.

If the beneficiary changes to a new contract supplier, the new contract supplier must replace the equipment. If the beneficiary changes from a contract supplier to another contract supplier, the new contract supplier is NOT entitled to a minimum number of months of payment and will be paid the single payment amount for the duration of the rental period not to exceed 36 months.

If a beneficiary who would otherwise be entitled to obtain a capped rental DME item from a grandfathered supplier changes to a contract supplier, a new 13-month rental period begins regardless of how many months the previous supplier was paid. However, rental payments only continue if the item continues to be medically necessary. The contract supplier will be paid the single payment amount. If the beneficiary changes from a contract supplier to another contract supplier, a new rental period does NOT begin, and the new contract supplier will be paid the single payment amount for the duration of the capped rental period.

For more information, please view the Grandfathering for Oxygen or Grandfathering for DME fact sheet.