In Brief

Last month, members of the Senate Finance Committee “stopped short” of endorsing CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk as the agency’s permanent head, according to a CQ HealthBeat report. Norwalk took over as the interim CMS chief in October when former Administrator Mark McClellan left the post.

According to the article, committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said, “I think they need some fresh blood, frankly. They just need to get a good person.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, said he had not decided whether he would support Norwalk as a nominee for the CMS administrator’s job.

The National Supplier Clearinghouse Advisory Committee is involved in troubleshooting problems that providers have had with site visits by Overland Solutions. The committee wants to hear from HME companies that have had concerns with site visits, which are used to determine whether providers are in compliance with the NSC’s 21 supplier standards. To report, fill out a form on the AAHomecare Web site at www.aahomecare.org.

Medicare’s DME Program Safeguard Contractors have published a bulletin redefining the basic equipment package for power wheelchairs, determining what accessories are and are not separately billable. The changes are effective for claims with dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2007. Access the entire bulletin online at www.tricenturion.com.