WASHINGTON (Feb. 5, 2015)—In early January, the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced that they would be performing a study on Medicare beneficiary access to DME, as requested by a bipartisan coalition of House members in July. Soon thereafter, AAHomecare received a request from the OIG to discuss access issues for patients.
Kim Brummett, vice president of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare, had preparatory conversations with OIG staff and convened a small group of engaged suppliers and industry stakeholders to speak with the OIG about access issues this morning. The group asked for clarification on the goals for the OIG report as well as the methodology that has been used in previous reporting on access and utilization rates.
The group was clear that many questions remain unanswered about the real impact of competitive bidding on access to care. Whether it is the lack of monitoring of the quality of products or how to analyze the number of patients paying privately, there are many critical points OIG can address to clarify what is happening to beneficiaries’ access to care. AAHomecare president and CEO Tom Ryan and staff stressed the need for continued communication between the OIG and the Association to protect access to home medical equipment.
AAHomecare will be following up with the OIG regarding a number of items and will keep the membership updated on any new developments.
