Reporting Business Changes to Maintain CMS Compliance

When there is a change to your business, it is difficult to remember all the various agencies that need to be contacted. You might even assume that these agencies have a central place to record and view changes. Unfortunately, such is not the case.

In order to remain CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) compliant, you must contact your accreditation organization (AO) whenever changes occur. As a rule of thumb, any change you report to the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) or that is directly related to the CMS Supplier Standards must be reported to your AO.

Below are reminders of the types of changes that need to be reported:

Change of location or postal service recognized address change (e.g., street or suite number)
Anytime a new DMEPOS location is opened (CMS Supplier Standard #23)
Changes to or addition of new products (CMS Supplier Standard #25)
Change of ownership (5% or greater)
Changes to key staff and/or their contact information, such as e-mail addresses - if key staff members are not reachable for compliance change notifications, your business is at risk of being non-compliant. (Refer to The Compliance Team’s Refresher Series)
Any notifications from the NSC regarding your Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) status
Changes to business hours or phone numbers (including after-hours contact number)
Closure or withdrawal of location
PTAN number assigned following new enrollment

To ensure your information stays up-to-date and that it is properly reported to CMS, check with your accreditor on the most efficient way to report changes. Depending on what has occurred, more information may be required, so contact your AO as soon as possible.

If The Compliance Team is your accreditor, getting answers to your questions is as easy as a phone call. A live person always answers the phone during normal business hours! Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm EST, (215) 654-9110.