I just got this email. 😒
Dear Ostomy and Catheter Communities,
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quietly released the CY 2026 Home Health and Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (“DMEPOS”) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) Final Rule in the Federal Register late Friday, November 28, 2025. The final rule specifies that ostomy, tracheostomy, and urological supplies are medical equipment items mandated for inclusion under the DMEPOS CBP by section 1847(a)(2)(A) of the Act.
As you may recall, UOAA strongly opposed this proposal and shared it with the community over the summer, as well as mobilized our advocates to submit public comments before the comment period closed on August 29th. This issue became a top priority for our organization, and UOAA implemented several strategies in our advocacy efforts, including a Patient Hill Day, meetings with Congressional offices, and several action alerts until the proposal reached its final stages at the end of October. All information on this advocacy effort was publicly available on ostomy.org on the dedicated web page and Action Center. We have been providing updates ever since then.
Despite these efforts, it was not the ruling response we had hoped for. CMS has largely finalized the rule as proposed, which is disappointing given all the comments submitted and Hill activity.
For those interested in reading the complete final rule, it can be found here. Most of the ostomy language can be found on pages 492-503. CMS also released a corresponding Fact Sheet for the DMEPOS CBP, which can be found here.
What does this mean for you?
The rule change does not have any immediate effect on ostomy supplies for Medicare beneficiaries. You should continue ordering your supplies as usual.
It will take a while for this change to take place. CMS has outlined a “targeted” schedule in the CMS Fact Sheet, which includes some initial preparation, including supplier contracts being awarded and Medicare Beneficiary education in the late summer/early fall of 2027, and a 6-month transition period for changing to contract suppliers beginning January 1, 2028. So the actual change that affects how you order supplies will not begin until January 1, 2028.
For full details, please refer to the Final Rule and Fact Sheet on CMS's website.
At this time, we are just providing an update on this advocacy effort. We recognize that you will have many questions. When we have had more time to thoroughly review the final ruling and discuss it with stakeholders for a clear understanding, we will update our web page with a FAQ sheet that will hopefully address most of your questions.
UOAA will continue to work for you!
UOAA remains deeply concerned about this ruling's potential long-term impact on patient access and safety. We remain steadfast in our argument that these supplies are prosthetic devices, not durable medical equipment items, and should not be included in the CBP.
In the coming year, UOAA will determine its next steps. Over the years, UOAA has built strong relationships with stakeholders, including industry, suppliers, coalitions, and patient and medical organizations. UOAA will work closely with them as we develop Phase 2 of this advocacy effort now that CMS's position is clear.
Please note that Congressional offices that signed the previous congressional letters are already being contacted to ensure they are informed and to explore potential follow-up actions with CMS.
We are sorry that we will not be able to answer individual letters/emails with specific questions at this time until more information is available to us, but please use the resources mentioned in this letter. A FAQ sheet will be developed for our website soon to assist you with any questions you may have.
One thing is for certain, UOAA will continue to fight to protect access to ostomy and urological supplies!
Sincerely,
Jeanine Gleba, UOAA Advocacy Manager
