Medical News Today reports that the newly announced Medicare DME program adopted after Congressional mandate, has already hit snags in 10 major metorpolitan areas, with more expected in 2009.

A new Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) scheduled to be implemented in 10 metropolitan areas starting on July 1, 2008 will put many DME providers out of business and will disrupt services for many of the three million seniors and people with disabilities living in those areas.

Those areas include Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas; Kansas City, Mo; Miami, Fla.; Orlando, Fla; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Riverside, Calif., and San Juan, P.R. Another 70 metropolitan statistical areas have been targeted for implementation of the bidding program in 2009.

Last Friday, DME providers in the first ten competitive bidding regions received letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) explaining whether they had been offered a contract, been disqualified from bidding, or bid outside of the bidding range for a product. Those DME providers that did not receive contracts for a given Medicare item or service are shut out of the Medicare program for three years.