The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a provision summary confirming that a Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) supplier’s annual resurvey and reaccreditation cycle will not begin until the expiration of the supplier’s current three-year cycle, if issued prior to January 1, 2026.
CMS published a rule in November stating plans to require resurvey and reaccreditation every year instead of every three years.
“To illustrate, suppose a supplier was initially accredited or reaccredited for a three-year period effective June 1, 2023,” the provision read. “For purposes of the implementation of our new annual resurvey/reaccreditation requirement–June 1, 2026, is the date: (1) its current accreditation expired; and (2) on which its annual resurvey/reaccreditation cycle begins.
“Accordingly, the supplier would have to be resurveyed and reaccredited at least once by June 1, 2027, again by June 1, 2028, and so forth. The dates used in this example are not meant to imply that all accreditations must be in effect for exactly three years. [Accrediting organizations] may issue reaccreditation renewals prior to the expiration date of the current period.”
The provision summary also stated that temporary accreditation will no longer be available. Effective January 1, 2026, all DMEPOS supplier locations must be surveyed before being accredited to confirm that the location meets the quality standards. Prior to 2026, accrediting organizations could accredit a new location for an existing DMEPOS supplier for three months after it was operational without requiring a new site visit.
The summary also reiterated its new stricter requirements for accrediting organizations, that all DMEPOS accrediting organization surveys of DMEPOS suppliers must be unannounced, and a DMEPOS supplier undergoing a change in majority ownership within 36 months of initial enrollment must enroll as a new DMEPOS supplier and be surveyed and accredited, if certain exceptions are not met.
To read the Provision Summary, visit the CMS website.
To read the detailed information, including summaries of the stakeholder comments and the CMS response, visit the CY 2026 HH PPS Final Rule.
