Not a Happy Summer Road Trip

WATERLOO, Iowa — Even as various means are in place to
derail competitive
bidding, providers must be prepared in case it moves ahead as
the go date for Round 1 gets closer.

The program is currently set to begin in nine of the country’s
largest MSAs in January 2011, so VGM Group is sending a team on the
road to discuss issues such as how to evaluate a bidding contract,
contractual obligations of bid winners and advice on
subcontracting.

The series will be presented by Mark Higley, vice
president-development; John Gallagher, vice president-government
relations; Alan Morris, regulatory analyst, all from VGM; and
attorney Neil Caesar, president of the Greenville, S.C.-based
Health Law Center. Throughout July and August, the group will team
with the respective state associations to present full-day seminars
called “Contracting Time is Here: Do You Know Your Game Plan?”

CMS is expected to reveal bid prices June 25 and will then begin
offering the three-year contracts to selected bidders. The list of
contract suppliers will be announced in September.

“This program is very comprehensive. Our goal is to ensure
providers are fully informed as to what they can and can’t do,”
said Morris. “We want bid winners and non-winners alike to be as
well-equipped as one could be to survive this horrible
program.”

The series, designed for all providers affected by the bidding
program, will include:

• Detailed overview of the contractual obligations for bid
  winners;
• Discussion about financially evaluating a bidding contract,
  including a take-home comprehensive Contract Evaluation
  Toolkit;
• Legal advice and legal document templates for subcontracting
  and change of ownership;
• Dos, don’ts, and tips on marketing your competitive bidding
  contract or subcontracting agreement; and
• In-depth legislative update on activity on Capitol Hill related
  to the effort to repeal competitive bidding, as well as other DME
  industry issues.

The seminars will be presented in each of the Round 1
competitive bidding areas during the contracting period:

July 13 – Cincinnati
July 14 – Pittsburgh
July 15 – Orlando
July 20 – Dallas
July 22 – Charlotte
July 27 – Kansas City
July 29 – Miami
August 10 – Cleveland
August 17 – Riverside

According to VGM’s Gallagher, “Our focus remains on moving
repeal legislation through Congress, and I remain very confident
we’ll get it done. However, we can’t help but recognize the
importance in preparing providers for the possibility that this
program will move forward on Jan. 1, 2011.”

For information, contact the VGM National Competitive Bidding
Services team at 800/ 642-6065.

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