Decoding DMEPOS Quality Standards, Part 2 – Complaints

By Kris Ravotti, RRT, RCP, Clinical Compliance Educator

Kris Ravotti serves as a clinical compliance educator for DMEPOS, Sleep, Pharmacy, and Dentistry Accreditation Programs at ACHC. A passionate advocate for survey preparedness, Kris is a regular contributor to ACHC’s knowledge bank of FAQs and articles. She also develops audit tools and other materials to support providers on the path to continuing compliance.

Posted: June 8, 2026

Now that CMS requires annual accreditation surveys to ensure DMEPOS suppliers remain compliant with the DMEPOS Quality Standards, it is more important than ever that suppliers fully understand these requirements and how they apply to their daily operations.

This article is the second in a series that reviews key components of the CMS Quality Standards and ACHC DMEPOS Accreditation requirements to help suppliers better understand their responsibilities and the importance of maintaining continuous compliance.

Monitoring complaints

In Part 2, we cover key components of the complaint process, which some providers call the "grievance process." This article addresses both.

DMEPOS Quality Standards require providers to have an avenue for beneficiaries to file a complaint about products and services. Beneficiaries must be informed of that process and be allowed to file a complaint against a supplier without fear of reprisal.

But the standards do not provide a definitive definition of what is considered a complaint. Suppliers must determine for themselves what constitutes a complaint and train personnel on when and how to implement relevant policies and procedures to meet standards requirements. (Learn more: Read this article for additional guidance on complaints.)

Intake

Once received, complaints must be investigated to determine the validity and circumstances of the issues. Sometimes an investigation is conducted and completed immediately while speaking with the beneficiary/complainant. Other times, investigations require a longer review time.

To ensure you resolve issues and prevent them from recurring, it is important to investigate every avenue the complaint may lead to. Even if the beneficiary/complainant considers their complaint resolved, there may be an internal process or practice that led to the complaint and should be investigated and corrected.

Documentation

CMS requires documentation of all complaints received, copies of the investigations, and responses to beneficiaries. Documenting all steps of the complaint process allows providers to log and track all issues. This helps ensure a thorough documentation process and allows providers to review actions periodically for compliance.

Performance management

Quality Standards also require that complaints about products and services as well as timeliness of responses are part of a performance management or performance improvement program. To comply, ensure that:

  • A complaint log/record is maintained.
  • Complaints show resolution and follow-up.
  • Corrective actions are documented, when needed.
  • Trends are reviewed, investigated, and documented.
  • Monitoring activities are completed and documented.

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Discover more articles about DMEPOS Accreditation here.