AAHomecare Takes to the Hill for Advocacy and Networking

Tom Ryan (left) of AAHomecare presented Doug Coleman with the Mal Mixon Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 23, 2018)—The HME community gathered in Metro DC this week to build support for HR 4229 and discuss policy changes that can benefit providers and beneficiaries at the Washington Legislative Conference. The conference began with AAHomecare Council meetings to discuss complex rehab and mobility as well as home medical equipment and respiratory therapy.

During a concurrent breakfast, providers were able to network with colleagues while discussing upcoming meeting strategy. Conference attendees joined together at a luncheon to honor the AAHomecare/Mal Mixon Legislative Advocate recipient, Doug Coleman.

“I believe Doug Coleman has far exceeded the parameters set forth in this award, serving as a passionate leader in the industry for both the Colorado Association for Medical Equipment Services and AAHomecare,” said Tom Ryan, president of AAHomecare. “Doug leads with creative solutions and a drive for change. For three decades he has focused on issues critical to patients and providers including policy changes that protect the integrity of our industry.”

AAHomecare also held its annual membership meeting, nominating and approving the following officers for 2018–2019:

• AAHomecare Chair: Steve Ackerman, President & CEO, Spectrum Medical, Inc.
• AAHomecare Vice Chair: Bill Guidetti, EVP Apria Healthcare Group
• AAHomecare Secretary: Seth Johnson, VP Government Affairs, Pride Mobility Corporation

The following board slate was nominated and approved for the 2018–2021 term:

• Mike Kloos, President, VGM Insurance & The VGM Group
• Randy Carson, Director Government Affairs, Smith & Nephew
• David Chester, Vice President, QMES
• Larissa D’Andrea, Director Government Affairs, ResMed
• Cara Bachenheimer, Sr. VP Government Relations, Invacare Corporation
• Jennifer Pederson, Corporate Compliance Officer, Lincare Holdings

Following the presentation of the board, Ryan thanked outgoing secretary Scott Meuser for his decade of service to AAHomecare on the board of directors and said, “Scott has been an integral part of this association, helping develop strategy and expand our reach. Thank you for your generous commitment of time, support and leadership. We appreciate your service.”

The keynote speaker for the 2018 Washington Legislative Conference was Melanie Combs-Dyer, newly appointed acting deputy director of provider compliance group at CMS. Combs-Dyer spoke on a variety of projects that her department is working on to reduce provider compliance burdens. She noted there are currently many unnecessary requirements, and her goal is to improve the supplier and provider experience. Here are some projects underway:

• Documentation Requirements Simplification (DRS) Initiative intends to remove unnecessary requirements.
• Provider Documentation Manual is a website for suppliers and providers to see all documentation requirements and checklists for items.
• Documentation Requirement Lookup Service will give prescribers the convenience of seeing documentation requirements at the time of service.

In addition, Combs-Dyer’s team is looking into increasing the efficiency of providers sharing electronic health records with the goal of eliminating the industry’s reliance on fax machines. She also told attendees that CMS is looking into taking the items included in the power mobility devices prior authorization (PMD PA) demonstration into the expanded PA program. The current PMD PA demonstration is set to end on August 31, 2018, and an announcement on the demonstration should be coming soon. Combs-Dyer welcomed feedback and suggestions on the efforts, via email to [email protected].

Wednesday’s AAHomecare meeting set the stage for two days of action on Capitol Hill, where HME advocates were scheduled to see more than 250 Congressional offices to make the case for substantial and sustained relief in non-bid areas and better Medicare reimbursement policy for all suppliers.

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.