CMS requiring all US transplant centers to file for approval by December 26.

All hospital transplant centers currently approved for Medicare participation (approved either under the ESRD Conditions of Coverage or the National Coverage Decisions) must submit a request for new approval under the Conditions of Participation established by the new regulation that was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 30, 2007. The request must be submitted to CMS by December 26, 2007 (180 days from the effective date of the regulation - June 28, 2007).

Important note: If an Organ Transplant Center does not submit a request for approval under the new Conditions of Participation by the December 26 due date, CMS says it will conclude that the center no longer desires Medicare participation and will begin the process to withdraw Medicare approval.

There is no application form. Transplant centers must send a request (e.g. a letter) to CMS with specific information. For a list of all transplant centers covered by the regulation and a listing of the minimum information that must be included in all requests to CMS for approval for the center, go to the following CMS Web page: www.cms.gov/CertificationandComplianc/20_Transplant.asp.

Transplant centers desiring first time Medicare certification must send a request to CMS with the same information. This process can be done any time the center is ready for initial Medicare certification.

Transplant centers with questions concerning the approval requests, timelines for the regulation, the information that must be submitted with the approval request, or the survey and certification process, should direct their inquiries to Sherry Clark in the CMS Survey and Certification Group - [phone].