Provider NewsWire

Noteworthy

URAC Approves Privacy Accreditation Standards: URAC April 8 announced that its board of directors has approved standards for privacy accreditation. Calling the standards “the nation’s first independent HIPAA Privacy accreditation program for covered entities and business associates,” URAC said that 20 companies currently are seeking accreditation under the new program. More information is available at www.urac.org, under the “news” heading.

The Med Group and ResMed Sign Purchasing Agreement: The MED Group of Lubbock, Texas, last month announced another in a series of purchasing agreements resulting from Med’s new “request for proposals” vendor contracts process. For the coming three years, MED will use Poway, Calif.-based ResMed as its primary vendor of sleep therapy devices, the organization announced March 31. “ResMed’s devotion to manufacturing quality sleep therapy devices is derived from [its] commitment to improving the lives of those with sleep disorders,” said Scott Austin, MED’s senior vice president of vendor relations. “This devotion is strongly aligned with the core values of The MED Group.”

Region D DMERC Announces Toll-Free Service Numbers: CIGNA Medicare, the Region D durable medical equipment regional carrier, will have two toll-free telephone lines to ensure that providers have access to the DMERC office. Effective April 14, the DMERC dedicated the existing toll-free line, (877) 320-0390, exclusively to the DMERC’s Interactive Voice Response Unit. A new toll-free number, (866) 243-7272, allows providers to speak directly to a customer service representative.

CAMPS Urges Members to Act on Issue of Upper Billing Limit: The California Association of Medical Product Suppliers last month urged California providers to contact the California Department of Health Services with concerns about an emergency regulation package that creates an upper billing limit on providers’ charges to the Medi-Cal program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies.

Legislative

AAHomecare Meets with CMS to Discuss ICD-9 Codes: To learn the details of Medicare’s ICD-9 coding requirements, representatives from the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association for Homecare last month attended an open-door meeting with officials from the Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. There, AAHomecare learned that home medical equipment providers can update the ICD-9 code to a new code — designating an unspecified level of specificity — using their own internal records.

“This is an important clarification and one issue that AAHomecare raised in a list of questions submitted to CMS prior to the meeting,” the association said. “CMS also made clear that every electronic claim must have a current ICD-9 code to process. Paper claims, however, will process without any ICD-9 code, provided that the [local medical review policy] for the claim does not require a specific code for coverage.”

New Coalition Plans Patient-Access Agenda: Representatives from the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association for Homecare March 28 attended the first meeting of a new consumer-led coalition whose goal is to improve access to and coverage of assistive devices, technologies and services for people of all ages. Initially, ITEM — which stands for Independence through Enhance of Medicare [and Medicaid] — will focus on improving Medicare’s coverage of durable medical equipment and other assistive devices.

For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.