In an effort to save money, Medicare has established a competitive bidding process for suppliers of durable medical equipment (DME). As part of this program, Medicare has specified approved suppliers in certain metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Note that these markets extend into more than one state:
Cincinnati – Middletown (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana)
Cleveland – Elyria – Mentor (Ohio)
Charlotte – Gastonia – Concord (North Carolina and South Carolina)
Dallas – Fort Worth – Arlington (Texas)
Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas)
Miami – Fort Lauderdale – Pompano Beach (Florida)
Orlando (Florida)
Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
Riverside – San Bernardino – Ontario (California)
Beneficiaries who live in one of these markets must purchase equipment and devices
from a supplier approved by Medicare to handle that product. Otherwise, “Medicare won’t pay for the item and you likely will pay full price,” according to the Medicare & You 2012 handbook. Medicare specifies that there are at least five approved suppliers for each product.
To find an approved supplier on the Medicare website, go to www.medicare.gov/supplier. Approved suppliers in these states are annotated with an orange star.
In July 2013, the list of approved suppliers for each product will be expanded to cover a total of 91 metropolitan areas, markets that are home to more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries.
