DSMES Accreditation and Recognition Process
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has authorized the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to grant accreditation (ADCES) or recognition (ADA).
Both ADCES and ADA have a formal application process, require supporting documentation, and require a fee with applications. ADCES and ADA also require annual reports and renewals and audit existing programs to ensure continued conformance with accreditation or recognition criteria. Each program is identified by its acronym: “DEAP” for Diabetes Education Accreditation Program (ADCES) and “ERP” for Education Recognition Program (ADA).
Being an accredited or recognized service benefits DSMES providers in many ways, including:
- The ability to bill for DSMT (see note below) through Medicare, some state Medicaid agencies, and many private insurers.
- Improved care and health status reporting.
- Alignment with quality improvement and population health goals.
- Access to ADCES or ADA resources and support.
Note: CMS uses the term “training” (DSMT) instead of “education and support” (DSMES) when defining the reimbursable benefit. This term relates specifically to Medicare billing.
For more information, see Comparing the Processes: Accreditation and Recognition.
| ADCES Accreditation Process | ADA Recognition Process | |
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| Cost |
Same fee structure for re-accreditation (accreditation lasts for 4 years) |
Same fee structure for renewal (recognition lasts for 4 years) |
| Initial Application |
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| Initial Application Process | Three steps:
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Three steps:
Recommended but not required: New applicants may attend one of the free New Quality Coordinator or Application Question (Q) and Answer (A) Calls by registering at: http://www.diabetes.org/erpqa |
| Renewal Application (initial accreditation lasts for 4 years) |
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| Timeline for Accreditation/Recognition Process Completion |
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| Support Services |
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| Audits |
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