Dear Colleagues,

Optometrists who wish to serve Medicare beneficiaries must enroll in Medicare as a physician to provide professional services, and, if desired, to enroll in Medicare as a supplier to provide post-cataract eyeglasses.  Part of the Affordable Care Act created an application fee for all DMEPOS providers that is due at the provider's initial enrollment or re-enrollment.  Every person or entity that enrolls in Medicare must pay the fee, except for physicians enrolling only to provide professional services. 

Enrolling to provide DMEPOS requires paying the fee, even for a physician.  The requirement to pay the fee was unsuccessfully contested by AOA. Further, CMS decided to declare categorically that all DMEPOS suppliers, even a solo doctor, are “institutional” and subject to the fee.