Written Order Prior to Delivery - Corrections to Document - JA DME

Written order prior to delivery (WOPD) is a long-standing statutory requirement for certain items of durable medical equipment (DME). The list of items subject to WOPD was expanded by the Affordable Care Act §6407. Medicare policy stipulates that a WOPD that is missing an element is not "curable" by a provider (i.e., a provider cannot make corrections to a WOPD) except as outlined below. 

• If errors in the WOPD are found prior to delivery, the supplier has two options:
  • The WOPD may be properly amended following the guidance in the Program Integrity Manual (Internet-Only Manual, Publ. 100-08), Chapter 3, Section 3.3.2.5; or,
  • A new WOPD may be created and sent to the physician for signature and date. 
• If errors in the WOPD are found after delivery of the item, the supplier has two options:
  • If the error is discovered prior to claim submission, the original supplier may recover the delivered item(s), obtain a compliant, complete  WOPD and then may re-deliver the item(s) to the beneficiary; or,
  • If the error is discovered after submitting a claim, the original supplier can recover their items and a new supplier must complete the transaction after complying with all requirements.

Because WOPD is a statutory requirement, claims denied because of a defective WOPD result in a beneficiary liability determination. Suppliers are strongly encouraged to review their WOPD documentation carefully prior to delivery to ensure that all the requirement elements are present on the document.