After the Storm

Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the Northeast Coast in the waning days of October, left millions of people without electricity and struggling to rebuild their homes, businesses and lives. HME providers in New York and New Jersey, who were themselves similarly impacted by the storm’s destruction, stepped into the chaos to provide patients with necessary, often life-sustaining equipment.

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) reported in a Nov. 1 newsletter that HME providers in the New York region “battled flood water, downed trees and hazardous electrical wires to deliver oxygen and other homecare services and supplies to seniors and people living with disabilities who depend on them.” The organization spoke to several HME providers in the affected area about the steps they were taking to serve their patients in Sandy’s aftermath.

“We are first responders,” said David Chase, president of Hampton Homecare, describing the obstacles his employees faced delivering oxygen tanks to patients on Long Island. “Our employees are traveling down roads before they are cleared. We are responding to people who are living in their cars… we have started going door to door looking for our customers in their neighborhoods.”

According to Tom Ryan, owner of Homecare Concepts in Farmingdale, N.Y., “My staff is working with spotty cell service from their homes and my office, which has no phone service. We have seven trucks dispatched and driving on treacherous roads with no traffic signal lights and downed wires and trees. We are actively calling all our oxygen patients. I have cases where drivers literally cannot get to the homes with downed trees.”

Ben Allison, president of Care One Home Medical in Manhattan, reported that, “Some deliveries of backup oxygen have required employees to haul ‘E’ tanks up as many as 41 flights of dark stairs to bed-bound patients who have lost telephone service as well as electricity.”

Daniel DeSimone, president and CEO of Continued Care of Long Island, told AAHomecare, “We are providing oxygen to patients who are not ours,” adding that after competitive bidding starts in his area in 2013, his company won’t be able to provide this community service in future disasters.

“The role of home medical equipment providers is often overlooked during natural disasters,” said Tyler Wilson, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “But they are on the front lines making sure that their customers are receiving the medical equipment and services they depend on.” See the full story at www.aahomecare.org.

MetroStar Home Health Products in Brooklyn began accepting donations of canned goods, nonperishable items and household items in the storm’s aftermath. The company also set up a unique text number that people who wanted to donate but were unable to get to the store could use to have MetroStar drivers pick up the items. Donors simply texted “getmystuff” to 69302 and a MetroStar representative would call them to schedule pickup. MetroStar collaborated with New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams to ensure that the items were distributed to local families in need. More details are available at www.metrostardme.com.

Oakdale, Pa.-based DME distributor Clarke Health Care Products announced that, through the efforts of employee Meghann Montenaro, the company was able to ship a pallet of supplies into storm-stricken areas of New York (pictured above). Montenaro’s family, whose Breezy Point home was damaged by flooding, helped to arrange a secure delivery site. Distribution of winter clothing, baby products, flashlights and batteries, and goods donated by Hosch Company and Frank Mobility into the Breezy Point and Rockaway neighborhoods was handled by fire department personnel. Learn more at www.clarkehealthcare.com.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) modified a number of regulations to accommodate beneficiaries and providers impacted by the storm. On Nov. 7, CMS issued guidance to its contractors to temporarily suspend all audit activity for a period of at least 30 days. The guidance from CMS states:

• Contractors shall not send MR additional documentation requests (ADRs) to any providers in New Jersey (N.J.), New York (N.Y.) and Connecticut (Conn.) for a period of 30 days from the issuance date of the technical direction letter.
• Contractors shall not deny claims from providers in N.J., N.Y., and Conn. for lack of documentation or insufficient documentation for a period of 30 days from the issuance date of this technical direction letter. Claims shall be released for payment and prioritized for post-pay review.
• Contractors shall not send ADRs or deny claims from providers in the ZIP Codes which have been designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as eligible for direct federal assistance (see list below), for an additional 30 days (a total of 60 days).

The guidance applies only to counties with FEMA major disaster declarations eligible for direct federal assistance as of Oct. 30, 2012 (not counties with emergency or other declarations). Information by state and county is available on the FEMA website (www.fema.gov). Go to www.aahomecare.org for more information.

On Nov. 8, CMS announced that it had extended the Medicare Open Enrollment Period beyond the Dec. 7, 2012, deadline in order to give Medicare beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Sandy adequate time and presence of mind to fully weigh the scope of their health care needs. CMS stated it was responding to the concerns of the Medicare Rights Center and other advocates, as well people with Medicare and their families by extending the Open Enrollment Period and issuing a reminder to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans about their obligations during a federal disaster. Without the extension, Medicare beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Sandy would have had to make new plan choices by Dec. 7, and if they did not, they would have been locked into their current plan for another year. Learn more at www.medicarerights.org.