Well, it's over. It was messy, frustrating, and no doubt occasionally successful, but the first round of competitive bidding is in the books. As is not the case in most endeavors, procrastinators may have had a distinct advantage during the first round of competitive bidding. After all, CMS continued with clarifications and conference calls as late as the original submission deadline.

It was as if the first month of open submissions was merely a way to work out the bugs. Just as you wouldn't buy an iPhone the first day it came out, submitting a bid on day one would be equally reckless (I suppose).

Could an extremely prepared provider have successfully submitted a bid the minute after the system opened? Not likely. I have spoken to a lot of providers about their experiences (some quotes would be unprintable), and every person I spoke with waited until the last 1 to 3 weeks. Is it not a reasonable expectation that most technical glitches be resolved before bidding officially began? And if they are not, how about more than a 2-week extension? It took 14 senators just to secure the July 27 deadline.

Almost in blog-like fashion, I could have updated this editor's message (written the day before bids closed) every hour. For example, a provider just called and asked how she could access content from last week's Friday Report—such is the clamor for information. Her problem: Despite the competitive bidding submission system (CBSS) extending the auto logout to 12 hours, the CBIC informed her that the "system is crashing for at least 15 minutes a day." For this particular provider, the glitch cost her hours of lost time and lost data.

Anecdotes such as these represent the proverbial tip of the iceberg. If you did not fall under the first 10 MSAs this time around, thank your lucky stars because you will learn from the miseries of your comrades. Through our electronic newsletter Friday Report (see the promo on the right below)—and via the good ol' print issue—you will hear the tales.

What now? The Tanner-Hobson House bill (HR 1845) is nearing the century mark with 97 cosponsors at press time. As a reminder, HR 1845 would allow "any willing provider" who meets all other qualifications to participate under the bid award price. There's no word yet on whether the key provisions of that bill are destined as a rider to other legislation, but stay tuned.

While the "train wreck" of competitive bidding (as Jeff Baird so memorably called it) appears to still be on the tracks, that is no reason to stop trying for a derailment. "The biggest thing we need to keep focusing on is to keep pushing Congress," says Cynthia L. Wilson, general manager of UPMC Home Medical Equipment, Pittsburgh. "Competitive bidding is not right for the patients or the business. There is a potential that we could be excluded from something, yet we have been an excellent provider for all these years. We are the 18th largest Medicare oxygen provider in the United States and we could be excluded? There is something wrong with that."

Greg Thompson

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