Annual Reaccreditation: The 2026 Rule and Your Next Survey Date

For years, a DMEPOS supplier's accreditation ran on a three-year cycle. That ended on January 1, 2026. The CY2026 home health final rule (CMS-1828-F, 90 FR 55342, published December 2, 2025) amended supplier standard 24 to read: "All accredited DMEPOS suppliers must be surveyed and reaccredited at least once every 12 months" (42 CFR 424.57(c)(24)). The surveys are still unannounced, and every location is still accredited separately.

When does my annual cycle start?

It depends on when your current accreditation was issued.

• Accredited before January 1, 2026: "A DMEPOS supplier's annual resurvey and reaccreditation cycle won't start until the expiration of the supplier's current 3-year reaccreditation cycle" (MLN905710, December 2025). Your existing term runs out, and the annual cycle begins on that date.
• First accredited on or after January 1, 2026: annual from the start.

CMS's DMEPOS Accreditation Guidance gives worked examples. A supplier accredited for three years effective June 1, 2023 sees that term expire on June 1, 2026, which "is the date ... on which its annual resurvey/reaccreditation cycle begins." It "would have to be resurveyed and reaccredited at least once by June 1, 2027, again by June 1, 2028, and so forth." A new supplier first accredited June 1, 2026 must be resurveyed and reaccredited by June 1, 2027 and "at least once every 12 months thereafter."

CMS adds two caveats: the dates "are not meant to imply that all accreditations must be in effect for exactly 3 years," and accrediting organizations "may issue reaccreditation renewals prior to the expiration date of the current period." Your accreditation certificate's expiration date, not a calculation from your enrollment date, is the number to work from.

How do I find my next survey deadline?

1. Pull the effective and expiration dates of each location's current accreditation. They are also on your 855S, section 2E2, and in PECOS.
2. If the current term was issued before January 1, 2026, the expiration date is the start of your annual cycle. The first annual reaccreditation is due within 12 months after it.
3. If the term was issued on or after January 1, 2026, the next reaccreditation is due within 12 months of the effective date.
4. Repeat for every location. A chain can have a different date at each site.
5. Ask your accrediting organization in writing how it schedules the unannounced resurvey within that window, since "at least once every 12 months" is a maximum interval, not an appointment.

What restarts the clock or adds a survey?

• A new location. The 2026 rule removed the old allowance for operating a new location for three months before a survey. CMS's Q&A: "Your AO will conduct a survey of the new location prior to issuing an accreditation approval."
• A relocation. "You must notify your AO within 30 days of a change of location/relocation," and the AO will survey the new site before accreditation is issued.
• A change in majority ownership within 36 months. Under 42 CFR 424.551 the buyer enrolls as a new supplier and obtains new accreditation. The Q&A says "An accreditation survey is required for all changes in majority ownership" and that any ownership change must be reported to the AO and the enrollment contractor within 30 days. See the 36-month ownership rule.
• A new TIN. The Q&A says a supplier "changing your Tax Identification Number ... must be surveyed and accredited and enroll in the Medicare program as a new DMEPOS supplier."
• A new product line. The accrediting organization must be told so it can survey and accredit the new products (424.57(c)(25)).

How does sampling work for chains?

Only large chains get relief. CMS's guidance defines a large chain, for sampling purposes, as an organization operating 25 or more practice locations. Accrediting organizations may survey a statistical sample of those locations instead of every site, but large chains are capped at 100 surveys per calendar year. A supplier with fewer than 25 locations has every location surveyed.

What happens if a resurvey is missed?

Accreditation lapses, and the consequences follow from the enrollment rules rather than the accreditation rules. The CMS manual tells the enrollment contractor to revoke an enrolled supplier that fails to "maintain its required accreditation," and Medicare "denies claims for DMEPOS suppliers that fail to maintain accreditation information on file." An accreditation change is also a change of information that must be reported within 30 days (MLN905710). See why billing privileges get revoked.

Does annual reaccreditation change how accreditors can help?

It narrows it. Under 42 CFR 424.58(m), an accrediting organization may not consult for a supplier it accredits within 6 months before that supplier's next reaccreditation survey. With a 12-month cycle, that leaves roughly the half-year right after each survey. Independent preparation is unaffected by that limit.

How do we keep suppliers survey-ready all year?

Annual Survey Readiness is $1,200 per year (see pricing). It tracks every location's window, runs a mock unannounced survey before it opens, audits complaint logs, delivery records and patient files against the Quality Standards, and updates the policy manual when CMS changes the rules. You remain the one surveyed and the accrediting organization makes the decision. For what surveyors look at, see preparing for an unannounced survey.