TOPEKA, Kan.--Rather than trying to beat a "done deal," HME
providers should instead focus their efforts on delaying round two
of competitive bidding, staff members for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.,
suggested during a meeting with members of the Midwest Association
of Medical Equipment Dealers last week.
"[They] said round one is done and over with. They would like to
look at a delay for round two so they could look at the effects of
round one," said Rose Schafhauser, MAMES executive director.
About 20 MAMES members representing 13 HME companies attended
the meeting, held Thursday at Roberts' Topeka, Kan., office.
"It went very well. This office definitely understands the
situation and they are very compassionate about it," Schafhauser
said.
Gerald Sloan, owner of Progressive Medical Equipment in Flint,
Kan., and a MAMES board member, agreed. "They have a very
comprehensive understanding of what the impacts [of competitive
bidding] will be," he said. "They were very straightforward with us
in letting us know it is an uphill battle. There's not a lot to do
with round one at this point, but we could work to delay round two.
And that's where they are saying we should probably focus our
efforts."
In addition to competitive bidding, MAMES representatives had
the chance to discuss HME fraud and abuse and the industry's
frustration with CMS' unwillingness to enforce rules already on the
books. They pointed out, Schafhauser said, that CMS persists in
giving out supplier numbers to those who don't even have a location
or a workable phone number, both of which are supposedly
requirements to enroll as a Medicare DMEPOS supplier.
"Palmetto GBA is supposed to be the gatekeeper, and CMS is
supposed to be the watchdog. And they both have failed miserably,"
said Sloan. "They can't even police a simple operation, let alone
one as complex as [competitive bidding]."
"Our providers will send copies of the letters they have
received ... to show the system is not set up and working the way
[members of Congress] thought it was," Schafhauser said. "We're
going to build up their toolkit. It's not just people whining," she
added. "The whining has to stop. We have to say, 'Here are the
specifics, here's who ends up suffering.' The access issue becomes
a huge problem."
Schafhauser said the meeting with Roberts underscored MAMES'
intent to get the truth out about HME to members of Congress. The
organization has already pledged to send all of its board members
or their representatives to the American Association for Homecare
Washington Legislative Conference March 4-6, where Roberts will be
a keynote speaker.
"We have to get people out to Washington," said Schafhauser. "We
consider this kind of 'do or die.' We have to pony up and bite into
our savings. We're fighting for our members and their
beneficiaries."
