Last month, members of the Senate Finance Committee
“stopped short” of endorsing CMS Acting Administrator
Leslie Norwalk as the agency's permanent head, according to a
CQ HealthBeat report. Norwalk took over as the interim CMS
chief in October when former Administrator Mark McClellan left the
post.
According to the article, committee Chairman Max Baucus,
D-Mont., said, “I think they need some fresh blood, frankly.
They just need to get a good person.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the committee,
which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, said he had not decided
whether he would support Norwalk as a nominee for the CMS
administrator's job.
The National Supplier Clearinghouse Advisory Committee is
involved in troubleshooting problems that providers have had with
site visits by Overland Solutions. The committee wants to hear
from HME companies that have had concerns with site visits, which
are used to determine whether providers are in compliance with the
NSC's 21 supplier standards. To report, fill out a form on the
AAHomecare Web site at www.aahomecare.org.
Medicare's DME Program Safeguard Contractors have published a
bulletin redefining the basic equipment package for power
wheelchairs, determining what accessories are and are not
separately billable. The changes are effective for claims with
dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2007. Access the entire
bulletin online at www.tricenturion.com.
