Editor’s Inbox

Thanks!

Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the August 2005 HomeCare issue. I think it was the most informative and timely series of articles to come out in a long time. You should be very proud of the product you provide.

I especially liked the “AAHomecare Update” and “Washington Wit & Wisdom” articles. With all the news out here, it’s hard to know what to do and how to do it. Those two articles are very clear and concise, and I now feel I have a direction to go in.

I think I speak for the majority: We need all the info we can get and someone to tell us the next steps to take!
— Don Saul, RRT, Mercy Memorial Home
Respiratory Care, Monroe, Mich.

Hobson-Tanner — and More

While the intent [of the Hobson-Tanner bill] is understood — protection of the little guy — what has not been mentioned [by anyone] is the increase in costs the small provider is seeing. Gasoline is now the highest it’s been in Arizona ever. Labor is on the increase. Remember that CPI increases have been frozen for Medicare for a couple of years now, and this will not change for another three years.

Further, limit us to the context [of the bill], and we will be limited to bidding at below the cut rate simply to reduce the risk of not playing at all. Add in the additional costs for quality standards and documentation requirements that are not even off the drawing board yet as to guidelines, and the little guy is in for a very tough set of years in 2007 and 2009.

Other questions about competitive bidding: What is “rural?” Can I simply move my business out of town and be exempt? What are the big 10 cities that will be hit first? Can you service a city from a rural area? When cities run together, like along the East and West coasts, where is the line? When will we get some guidelines on [accreditation]?

The clock is ticking, and while I see some movement … I also see the vast majority of the tough questions and requirements still on the table not being presented.
— Bill Baker, RRT, president, RxO2 Inc., Tucson, Ariz.

At press time, the long-awaited supplier standards were scheduled to be presented and discussed during a CMS Open Door Forum on Sept. 26. For more on the Hobson-Tanner bill to modify DME competitive bidding, visit www.aahomecare.org.

Directions, Please

As you know, trying to get Medicare beneficiaries qualified for oxygen therapy is a very tedious process and sometimes just impossible. [Some companies] have products on the market that allow HME providers to assist in getting patients qualified. They also [say] that their products have been approved by CMS. I am having a difficult time trying to find anything written by CMS confirming that this is a … way to qualify Medicare beneficiaries.

I understand that there was a statement released sometime in July. However, I am unable to locate it. Will you please point me in the right direction?
— Timothy Bates, Premier Home
Healthcare Inc., Orlando, Fla.

According to a CMS program transmittal issued July 22, effective Jan. 1, 2006, providers can deliver home oximetry tests to Medicare patients to help speed up the process of qualifying beneficiaries for home oxygen therapy. CMS has said the instruction is not limited to certain devices. View the transmittal at www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/transmittals/comm_date_dsc.asp. For a translation, visit our archives at www.homecaremag.com and select September 2005 from the list of back issues to read Cara Bachenheimer’s “Washington Wit & Wisdom” column on this topic.