WASHINGTON--Hoping to countermand the numerous threats hovering on the home medical equipment horizon this year, four industry organizations are working together to get the message to Congress about the value of home care and the critical role HME plays.
The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers, the American Association for Homecare, The MED Group and the Van G. Miller (VGM) Group announced last week they will sponsor a grassroots and consumer awareness campaign called "Rock the Halls of Congress" that will culminate with AAHomecare's annual Washington Legislative Conference, scheduled March 4-6.
Together, the four organizations represent more than 4,000 DME suppliers with more than 5,000 locations and 2.5 million patients.
"We all agree this is a watershed year, and we have a very short window in which to work ... It's now or never," said Wayne Stanfield, president and CEO of NAIMES, which came up with the idea. "We either sit back and take what they throw at us or we do something about it."
The effort comes in a year in which the first round of DMEPOS competitive bidding will be implemented and the second round is gearing up, with industry-watchers expecting the likely result that many providers will close and beneficiaries will suffer access problems.
Congress is also mulling further cuts to oxygen reimbursement and power wheelchairs. As well, CMS is lobbying against HME. At a congressional briefing on competitive bidding last week, agency officials said HME accounted for the greatest amount of fraud in the Medicare system. (See "CMS Briefs Congress on NCB, Disses DME" in this issue.)
"The additional dynamic ... is that it is an election year," said Cara Bachenheimer, vice president of government relations for Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare. "It's a shorter year, and Congress will go home in October," she said, so "things will probably heat up very quickly."
With those factors in mind, the provider groups say timing is perfect for the Rock the Halls effort to make sure the message reaches Congress before July 1, when the first round of competitive bidding is implemented. That's also the date when the Medicare "doc fix," passed in December, will expire--and when lawmakers must again come up with funding to avert a physician fee cut.
The new three-pronged initiative will start off with a massive postcard campaign. Providers in the four organizations, as well as members of the 30 state HME associations, will be asked to find 10 Medicare beneficiaries each to hand-write green postcards to their congressmen.
The postcards "will express genuine concern in what [it means] to the patient in terms of getting the service they need and the continued high quality of service they are used to," said Michael Reinemer, vice president, communications and policy, for AAHomecare,
The goal, according to Stanfield, is for 25,000 postcards to reach congressional offices the week of Feb. 11-15.
The second phase of the plan will be provider visits to congressional home offices during the lawmakers' Feb. 18-25 recess. Stanfield said the goal is 500 visits with the legislators in their home districts, with each provider asked to take along at least one beneficiary.
"The key to this plan is simple: Show up," said John Gallagher, VGM's vice president of government relations. "Make the appointment and go. Meeting a staffer is as good as meeting the members themselves. Either way, the message is delivered."
The third part of the plan is marshalling as many providers as possible at the AAHomecare conference in March to make another 500 visits to congressional offices on Capitol Hill.
"This is like a military campaign: by air, then land, then 'see,'" said Wayne Sale, NAIMES chairman. "First they get the postcard, then we follow up with the ground forces at the district level and then deliver the message in Washington where the decisions are made."
"It is all timing, and it is very well aligned," said Stanfield. "By the time we leave Washington on the 6th of March, it is my guess that a lot of congressmen will know about DME."
To encourage participation at the legislative conference, VGM has pledged scholarships to state and regional associations so more people can attend. A $500 award will be given to state associations that send at least one member, and $1,000 will go to regional associations (representing five or more states) that send at least two people to the conference. Recipients must be association members who have not previously attended the Washington event.
"To gain maximum participation, VGM will also offer an additional $500 to each state association that brings three or more first-time attendees, and $1,000 to each regional association that brings six or more eligible recipients," Gallagher said.
VGM will likely follow up with another "Jam the Switchboard" event before the July 1 implementation of competitive bidding. The group's November Washington call-in netted over 8,000 calls to congressional offices.
Another aspect of the NAIMES plan is the color green. Along with the postcards to be mailed, talking points developed for delivery to congressmen's district offices will be on green paper. Name badges for the AAHomecare conference may also be green, and some of the information for visiting Washington congressional offices will likely be green as well.
The grassroots effort is also placing an emphasis on consumer awareness. Providers will be asked to share industry-written op-ed pieces with their local newspapers so beneficiaries and the general public can be informed about the issues of competitive bidding, effects of the oxygen rental cap and elimination of the first-month purchase option for power mobility.
In addition, Michael Schleipfer, a Massachusetts radio talk show host who is also a member of the New England Medical Equipment Dealers, has agreed to produce three radio spots that can be aired as public service announcements. The radio announcements will focus on competitive bidding, the oxygen rental cap and power mobility. Providers will be asked to contact their local radio stations in an attempt to get the spots aired, and they will be the contacts for further information, Stanfield said.
Finally, providers will be supplied with petitions--also printed on green paper--to make available to employees, family, friends, caregivers and patients addressing the major concerns.
"Time is short and the stakes are high," stated Tyler Wilson, president of AAHomecare. "When NAIMES approached us with this plan, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring more health care into the picture and get the industry firing on all cylinders quickly."
"This is a powerful opportunity to get some word to Congress early enough that it will make a difference," said Stanfield. "It is an opportunity to work together for one result. We've got to change political minds before the end of June."
In the end, organizers said, the "Rock the Halls" campaign will depend on the efforts of providers.
"With the support of every HME provider, this campaign could be
a turning point for us this year," stated Don Clayback, vice
president of government relations for The MED Group. "The key is
for every provider to get involved. While many have been working on
this in the past, we have a window of opportunity that requires
everyone to get on board to generate the biggest push we
can."