Durable Medical Equipment Accreditation

It is important to note that AASM Durable Medical Equipment (DME) accreditation is not accepted by Medicare, and applicants should verify with private insurers if AASM DME accreditation is accepted for reimbursement.

Who Should Apply?

Durable Medical Equipment accreditation is available to DME suppliers that provide sleep-related DME to patients. This includes both free-standing suppliers and sleep facilities that provide DME equipment to their patients. Complete your DME application now or contact us for more information.

Pricing

New Accreditation or Reaccreditation

$2,000

Entities may be eligible for volume pricing. Visit the Accreditation Network webpage to learn more.

Durable Medical Equipment Accreditation FAQs

Durable Medical Equipment Information

Durable Medical Equipment accreditation is for suppliers that provide sleep related DME to patients. This includes both free-standing suppliers and sleep facilities that provide DME equipment to their patients.

Durable Medical Equipment Accreditation is $2,000 for new or reaccreditation application.

The accreditation term is granted for five years.

In general, accreditation can take 3-4 months to complete from application submission to the AASM Accreditation Committee’s approval.  The AASM offers an expedited option for an additional $500. The expedited review allows the application to be approved in an average of 1-2 months.

You must apply for reaccreditation of your DME to maintain accreditation. Reaccreditation applications are opened 10 months prior to the expiration date. Applications for reaccreditation are due 6 months prior to the expiration date. The Accreditation Department will send notices 10 months and 7 months prior to the expiration date. The DME can apply after the due date; however, a late fee will apply. If the DME fails to submit a reaccreditation application by the accreditation expiration date, the DME must submit a new online application. Please note that there are no extensions granted past the accreditation expiration date.

When logged in to your AASM account, navigate to the “My Organizations” tab on the left-hand side of the page. At the bottom of this page, click on the “Manage Applications” link. This should route you to your past applications submitted with the AASM.

Accreditation Process and Policies

We only request that the DME supplier update the AASM on a change of the Authorized Official or primary contact. All other professional or technical staff members must be updated at the time of reaccreditation. Please ensure these new members are adhering to the qualifications in the Standard B section included in the AASM Standards for Accreditation.

Yes, DME suppliers undergoing one or more of these changes must submit a Special Considerations application within one month of the change. Please see Program Changes webpage on how to submit a Special Considerations application as well as the materials needed for submission.

When a DME supplier relocates, the AASM requests a letter signed by the authorized official, primary contact, or owner as designated in the accreditation application indicating the effective date of relocation, the previous address, and the new address within 30 days. This letter must be sent to your Accreditation Coordinator or to accreditation@aasm.org. A site visit will not be necessary for relocation.

If the DME supplier is relocating and changing ownership simultaneously, the DME will be considered a new DME supplier and must submit a new application for accreditation. Please see the AASM Accreditation Process and Policies for more information.

No, AASM accreditation is location specific. Your DME accreditation only applies to the address. For this reason, other DME locations would not fall under your accreditation. Each location would need to obtain separate accreditation by submitting a new accreditation application.

Business Associate Agreement (BAA)

The HIPAA Privacy Rule explicitly defines organizations that accredit covered entities as business associates. Like other business associates, accreditation organizations provide a service to the covered entity which may require sharing of protected health information.

The AASM offers a BAA that covers in-scope accreditation services. The AASM’s HIPAA BAA is available in the accreditation application or on the accreditation Reference Materials webpage. The AASM recommends the entity uses a pre-signed AASM BAA found in the accreditation application, which can be e-signed and submitted.

The AASM’s services are consistent for all entities; therefore, the AASM strongly recommends use of the AASM HIPAA BAA. In creation of AASM’s HIPAA BAA, the AASM had the BAA vetted by legal counsel specializing in HIPAA privacy. The AASM HIPAA BAA satisfies all requirements of business associates under HIPAA regulations.

Entities wanting to pursue a custom BAA may select “Custom BAA” in the accreditation application. A custom BAA must be uploaded in the accreditation application and a fee of $500 is payable at the time of the accreditation application submission. Customized agreements require careful review by the AASM and may require direct communication with the entity’s legal department. Entities pursuing a custom BAA need to allow an average of 4-6 weeks for review and potential revisions before the agreement is ready for signature.

The AASM does not create, maintain, or transmit any PHI of the covered entity. During the accreditation process, a site visitor will conduct an inspection of the entity to determine compliance with the Standards for Accreditation. During this inspection, our site visitor will review a set of patient records prepared by the entity. The site visitor will neither copy nor remove any PHI from the entity. Additionally, the AASM does not accept any PHI in response to additional information in support of the standards.

The BAA is a legal document only valid when signed by an authorized individual designated to review and approve official legal documents on behalf of an accrediting entity. Typically, hospital owned entities require a CEO’s or privacy officer’s signature. Freestanding entities may have the owner sign all legal documents. Entities applying for accreditation are responsible for determining the appropriate signatory ensuring that an authorized individual has reviewed and signed the agreement.