CMS Pub. 100-08, ch. 4, § 4.7.3.1.1

This section applies to UPICs. This section is applicable to DME MACs, RACs, SMRC,

and CERT medical review contractors, as noted in Ch. 5, Section 5.8.

For the purpose of the delivery methods noted below, designee is defined as:

“Any person who can sign and accept the delivery of durable medical equipment on

behalf of the beneficiary.”

Suppliers, their employees, or anyone else having a financial interest in the delivery of

the item are prohibited from signing and accepting an item on behalf of a beneficiary

(i.e., acting as a designee on behalf of the beneficiary). The signature of the designee

should be legible. If the signature of the designee is not legible, the supplier/shipping

service should note the name of the designee on the delivery slip.

Three methods of delivery are:

• Supplier delivering directly to the beneficiary or designee;

• Supplier utilizing a delivery/shipping service to deliver items; and

• Delivery of items to a nursing facility on behalf of the beneficiary.

The date of delivery may be entered by the beneficiary, designee or the supplier. As a

general Medicare rule, the date of service shall be the date of delivery. Exceptions are

made for suppliers who use a delivery/shipping service. If the supplier uses a

delivery/shipping service, the supplier may use the shipping date as the date of service

on the claim. The shipping date may be defined as the date the delivery/shipping service

label is created or the date the item is retrieved for delivery; however, such dates should

not demonstrate significant variation. (See Pub. 100-08, chapter 5, section 5.2.4 for

further information on written orders prior to delivery.)