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NEWSLINE
Release Number: 2020-39
May 6, 2020

DWC Posts Additional Adjustment to Official Medical Fee Schedule (DMEPOS) to Adopt Medicare Fee Schedule Increase Required by the CARES Act

The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has posted an order adjusting the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) section of the Official Medical Fee Schedule to conform to additional 2020 changes in the Medicare payment system as required by Labor Code section 5307.1.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) mandates that fees for DMEPOS supplied in non-rural areas be increased beginning March 6, 2020 in order to support essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DWC order adopts Medicare’s revised file for DMEPOS items supplied to patients on or after March 6, 2020. Workers’ compensation claims administrators will need to adjust payment systems in light of the retroactive change, set up a process to identify claims which involve DMEPOS dispensed in non-rural areas, and ensure that the increased payments are remitted to the provider.

The order adopting the updated OMFS DMEPOS fee schedule can be found on the DWC fee schedule web page.