CMS shares bid pricing for Round 2021

WASHINGTON – CMS tonight released a “pivotal bid report” for Round 2021, in response to requests to share additional information on its latest round of the competitive bidding program.

In the Las Vegas competitive bid area for example, the pivotal bid for CPAP devices, E601, was $110.80, a difference of 157.4% compared to the former CBA adjusted fee schedule amount.

“CMS anticipates that this information will be helpful for stakeholders and other interested parties in their ongoing engagement,” the agency stated.

CMS announced in October that it was removing 13 product categories from Round 2021 because the payment amounts did not achieve expected savings, prompting industry stakeholders to request transparency from CMS.

“No matter what the results, bidders have a right to know how they would have fared, and we hope to be able to share that information widely,” AAHomecare stated in a bulletin last month.

Other bid results:

• In the Bridgeport, Conn., CBA, the pivotal bid for oxygen concentrators, E1390, was $170, a difference of 133.4%.
• In the Aiken, Edgefield, S.C., CBA, the pivotal bid for hospital beds, E0260, was $139.39, a difference of 129.9%.
• In the Allentown, Pa., CBA, the pivotal bid for manual wheelchairs, K0001, was $61.32, a difference of 192.1%
• In the Port Chester, Yonkers, White Plains, N.Y., CBA, the pivotal bid for power mobility devices, K0823, was $570, a difference of 125.5%

Round 2021 featured a modified bidding process that included a “clearing price” to set rates. The single payment amount for a lead item was equal to the maximum bid submitted for that item by bidders whose lead items bids for the product category were equal to or below the “pivotal bid” for that product category in a CBA.