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Short answer: DMEPOS accreditation is the Medicare requirement that a supplier of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies be accredited by a CMS-approved independent national accrediting organization (AO) before it can enroll and bill DME Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). Exemptions exist for certain products and professionals. From 1 January 2026, accredited suppliers are resurveyed at least every 12 months instead of every 3 years.
This page is general regulatory information for lab, clinic and supply staff. It is not legal, billing or medical advice.
Definition and scope
DMEPOS stands for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies. Accreditation applies to “all DMEPOS suppliers submitting claims to DME Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs)”, according to CMS Medicare Learning Network fact sheet MLN905710 (December 2025). To supply Medicare DMEPOS and keep a billing number, a supplier must meet the DMEPOS supplier standards, meet the DMEPOS quality standards and obtain accreditation from a CMS-approved AO, and enroll through PECOS or form CMS-855S.
Accreditation is specific. The AO’s accreditation “must indicate the specific products and services for which they’re accrediting that supplier to get payment.” Every location, whether owned or subcontracted, must meet the quality standards and be separately accredited to bill. Product categories are disclosed at enrollment, and a supplier that adds one later notifies its accrediting body.
What is DME in healthcare?
DME is the first letter group in DMEPOS: durable medical equipment, the reusable equipment category within the broader DMEPOS umbrella. For what counts as DME and how it differs from the prosthetic, orthotic and supply categories, see durable medical equipment list. For what Medicare covers, see Medicare DME coverage.
How the process works in practice
MLN905710 describes three stages. A supplier must be accredited, or exempt, before it submits its enrollment application; the National Provider Enrollment Contractors (NPECs) do not process an application otherwise.
- Pre-application: the supplier selects a CMS-approved AO and works with it.
- Application: the AO reviews the application and supporting documents such as the organizational chart and licensure.
- On-site survey: the AO conducts an unannounced visit and determines accreditation, then reports to the NPECs.
The federal rule for AOs, 42 CFR 424.58 (eCFR version of 2026-10-01), requires the AO to survey all supplier locations for which accreditation is sought, to perform all surveys as unannounced surveys, and not to accredit a supplier before the survey is performed. It also provides that CMS may at any time direct an AO to perform a survey. CMS keeps a current list of approved AOs; suppliers contact the AOs directly.
Who must be accredited and who is exempt
Unless exempt, a supplier billing DME MACs must be accredited. Under section 154(b) of MIPPA, the fact sheet lists these exemptions. CMS states it does not currently use its authority to exempt suppliers based on licensing or other mandatory quality programs.
| Exemption group | Listed by CMS |
|---|---|
| Exempt products | DME drugs (inhalation and pump-infused), medical supplies furnished by home health agencies, and other Part B drugs such as immunosuppressive and antiemetic drugs |
| Exempt eligible professionals | Certified nurse-midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, nurse practitioner, nutritional professional, occupational therapist, physical therapist, physician, physician assistant, qualified audiologist, qualified speech-language pathologist, registered dietitian |
| Other exempt persons | Optician, orthotist, prosthetist |
| Pharmacies | May apply for an exemption by submitting an accreditation exemption attestation to the NPECs |
What changed from 1 January 2026
| Topic | Rule stated in MLN905710 |
|---|---|
| Resurvey interval | AOs resurvey and reaccredit all accredited suppliers at least every 12 months, previously every 3 years. Three-year cycles issued before 1 January 2026 run to expiry before the annual cycle starts. |
| New locations | An existing supplier with a new location must be surveyed before being accredited. The earlier three-month operate-first window no longer applies. |
| Majority ownership change | If majority ownership changes by sale within 36 months of initial enrollment or of the last majority-ownership change, billing privileges are not conveyed; the new owner enrolls as a new supplier and is surveyed and newly accredited. Listed exceptions: internal parent restructuring, same owners changing structure, and an owner’s death. |
| Sale or merger | Accreditation does not transfer on a merger, acquisition or sale; notify CMS, the NPEC and the AO. |
| Reporting changes | Report enrollment changes, including accreditation changes, to the NPEC within 30 days. |
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
- Claims: CMS states it denies claims from suppliers that are not accredited by a CMS-approved AO, and the remittance advice says so. A clinic that bills Medicare for DMEPOS itself therefore needs to confirm whether it is exempt or accredited.
- Two separate approvals: NPECs and AOs are independent. Compliance with one does not guarantee compliance with the other.
- Scope: accreditation is per location and per product category, so a supplier’s accreditation covering one category does not by itself cover another.
- Related coding and documentation: accreditation is separate from claim coding. See Modifier KX for an attestation on individual claims, and HCPCS vs CPT codes.
Common misunderstandings
- “Any accreditation will do.” The MLN sheet requires accreditation by a CMS-approved independent national AO, indicating the specific products and services accredited. For a separate accrediting body, see ACHC accreditation.
- “Accreditation is once every three years.” That was the cycle before 2026; the fact sheet now states at least every 12 months.
- “A new location can start billing first.” From 1 January 2026 it must be surveyed before being accredited.
- “Accreditation transfers when a business is sold.” It does not.
CMS-approved DMEPOS accreditation organizations
CMS publishes the list of approved accrediting organizations as a PDF, “DMEPOS Accreditation Organizations”, updated 01/09/2026. It names eight organizations: the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC); the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC); the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP); the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA); the Joint Commission (JC); the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP); The Compliance Team (TCT); and the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC).
Approval scope differs. For ACHC, ABC, CHAP, HQAA, JC, TCT and BOC the list shows all DMEPOS products and services: Section I (supplier business service requirements), Section II (supplier product-specific service requirements), and Appendices A, B and C. NABP is listed for Section I, Section II, Appendix A, and the Appendix C items covering external breast prostheses, therapeutic shoes and inserts and their accessories and supplies; it is not listed for Appendix B (manual wheelchairs, power mobility devices, complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and assistive technology). A supplier should confirm that its chosen organization is approved for every product category it will bill. The list is a CMS document that changes, so check the current version before choosing.
The DMEPOS quality standards an accreditor applies
An accrediting organization measures a supplier against the CMS DMEPOS Quality Standards (final, effective August 12, 2024). Section I covers supplier business services requirements: administration, financial management, human resources management, consumer services, performance management, product safety and information management. Section II covers product-specific service requirements: intake and assessment, delivery and set-up, and follow-up. Three appendices add category rules: Appendix A (respiratory equipment, supplies and services), Appendix B (manual wheelchairs, power mobility devices, and complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and assistive technology) and Appendix C (custom fabricated and custom fitted orthoses, prosthetic devices, external breast prostheses, therapeutic shoes and inserts, and related items).
Under 42 CFR 424.58, an accrediting organization must apply all CMS-established quality standards and CMS deficiency definitions, and must obtain CMS approval before changing its own standards. It must also deny or terminate accreditation in listed cases, such as a supplier that is not operational or that fails licensure requirements, or when CMS directs it to.
Supplier standards and the surety bond that sit beside accreditation
Accreditation is one of several conditions in 42 CFR 424.57(c), the DMEPOS supplier standards. Paragraph (c)(22) requires the supplier and all its locations to meet the quality standards and be separately accredited to enroll in and bill Medicare, with the accreditation specifying the products and services covered. Paragraph (c)(24) requires survey and reaccreditation at least every 12 months, and (c)(23) requires notifying the accrediting organization when a new location opens. Other standards in the same paragraph include a physical facility open to the public (generally at least 30 hours a week, with listed exceptions), a primary business telephone, comprehensive liability insurance of at least $300,000, on-site inspection access, complaint handling, and delivery and proof-of-delivery rules.
Paragraph (d) adds a continuous surety bond from an authorized surety: $50,000 per assigned NPI submitted with the enrollment application, change of ownership or revalidation, with a further $50,000 base bond (new bond or rider) when a practice location is added. A contractor may require an elevated amount of $50,000 per occurrence of an adverse legal action within the previous 10 years. Exceptions in (d)(15) include government-operated suppliers with a comparable state surety bond, physicians and non-physician practitioners furnishing items only to their own patients, and certain solely owned private practices of state-licensed orthotic and prosthetic personnel or of physical and occupational therapists billing only for orthotics, prosthetics and supplies. A supplier that stops qualifying for an exception must submit a bond within 60 days after it knows or has reason to know.
What a DMEPOS supplier is, and how enrollment fits around accreditation
A DMEPOS supplier is an entity that furnishes DMEPOS items to Medicare beneficiaries and bills the DME MACs, as MLN905710 frames it. Accreditation is a gate before the enrollment application, and enrollment then produces the supplier billing number. For how that billing number differs from the NPI, see PTAN number; for the enrollment cycle after approval, see Medicare revalidation for DME suppliers; for the provider taxonomy code used on enrollment and claims, see taxonomy codes for DME and medical suppliers. For the business side of delivering equipment, see medical supply delivery business, and for reading denial messages on remittances, see CARC and RARC codes.
Frequently asked questions
What is DME in healthcare?
DME means durable medical equipment, one category inside DMEPOS. See the durable medical equipment list for what counts as DME.
Who must hold DMEPOS accreditation?
Suppliers submitting claims to DME MACs, unless exempt under the categories in the table above.
How often is a supplier resurveyed?
At least once every 12 months from 1 January 2026, per MLN905710.
Which organizations can accredit a DMEPOS supplier?
The eight on the CMS list updated 01/09/2026: ACHC, ABC, CHAP, HQAA, the Joint Commission, NABP, The Compliance Team and BOC. NABP is not listed for Appendix B wheelchair and mobility categories, so confirm category scope first.
Is a surety bond required in addition to accreditation?
Generally yes. 42 CFR 424.57(d) requires a $50,000 continuous surety bond per assigned NPI, subject to the listed exceptions.
Does one accreditation cover every location?
No. Under 42 CFR 424.57(c)(22) each location must meet the quality standards and be separately accredited, and (c)(23) requires notifying the accrediting organization when a new location opens.
What does an accreditor check?
Compliance with the CMS DMEPOS Quality Standards: supplier business services (Section I), product-specific service requirements (Section II) and the category appendices that apply.
Sources
- CMS, Medicare Learning Network, “DMEPOS Accreditation”, MLN905710, December 2025 (cms.gov, checked 2026-10-30): https://www.cms.gov/outreach-and-education/medicare-learning-network-mln/mlnproducts/downloads/dmepos_basics_factsheet_icn905710.pdf
- 42 CFR 424.58, eCFR, version 2026-10-01 (checked 2026-10-30): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-424/section-424.58
- CMS, “DMEPOS Accreditation Organizations” list, updated 01/09/2026 (checked 2026-10-30): https://www.cms.gov/files/document/dmepos-accreditation-organizations.pdf
- CMS, DMEPOS Quality Standards, final, effective August 12, 2024 (checked 2026-10-30): https://www.cms.gov/files/document/dmepos-quality-standards.pdf
- CMS, DMEPOS Accreditation Organizations page (checked 2026-10-30): https://www.cms.gov/medicare/enrollment-renewal/providers-suppliers/durable-medical-equipment-prosthetics-orthotics-supplies-dmepos-enrollment/dmepos-accreditation-organizations
- 42 CFR 424.57, eCFR, version 2026-10-01 (checked 2026-10-30): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-424/section-424.57
