Despite Recess, Medicare-Reform Legislation Inches Along
Washington When the members of the Medicare Prescription Drug Conference Committee headed home for the August recess, they left behind representatives
Author
Brook Raflo
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Cardinal Meeting Highlights Pharmacies’ Focus on HME
Las Vegas Like their peers in the HME industry, independent retail pharmacies are looking for ways to shelter themselves from the coming Medicare-reform -
CMS Describes Exception to In-the-Home Rule
Baltimore In an Aug. 1 memorandum, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explained that, while the durable medical equipment benefit generally -
Legislation & Regulation
White House Letter Encourages States’ Recovery Efforts
Washington The Bush Administration’s Office of Management and Budget in May clarified its policy about state recoveries of erroneous government payments, explaining that states may use a portion of the money they collect to pay for audits of government contractors. A glitch in federal guidelines, which appeared in the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002, caused some states to drop recovery efforts, fearing that costly audits would burden lagging budgets. To clarify the misunderstanding, OMB Controller Linda Springer issued a memo to states, explaining that collection firms may receive reasonable fees based on the amount of federal money they recover — and that states may pay these fees using some of the recovered funds. “We’ve analyzed a portion of the programs and already know that... -
Legislation & Regulation
AAHomecare Supports Accreditation Provision
Alexandria, Va. During the weeks since the Senate made public its Medicare-reform bill, members of the durable medical equipment industry have debated hotly a provision that would require all DME providers to become accredited within three years of the bill’s passage. The American Association for Homecare has been vocal about other provisions of the Senate bill; however, until July 10, the association had not stated its position on the accreditation issue. While some providers hailed the accreditation provision as one that would help the DME industry combat negative stereotypes, others complained that the provision would harm small companies. “The cost and man hours to prepare for a survey is prohibitive for most small independents,” D. Rexford Maxey, president of Penn-York Medical Supplies in Binghamton, N.Y.,... -
Home-Based Waivers Scrimp on Quality, GAO Says
Washington For the past decade, Medicaid-eligible seniors have been moving home from institutions, thanks to a home- and community-based service waiver -
Legislation & Regulation
No HIPAA Delay, Committee Urges
Washington The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics last month advised the U.S. Health and Human Services Department not to delay the “transaction and code set” deadline of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. In a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, the committee explained that delaying the Oct. 16, 2003, deadline would punish those who are following the rules. “The committee feels that … it’s important to proceed with implementation,” said a staff member for the NCVHS. Softening the impact of this resolute stance, the committee recommended that HHS allow “substantial flexibility,” as covered entities work to come into compliance. Such non-punitive language echoed a message that a representative from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services delivered to attendees at a... -
Casting Complete for Medicare Conference
Washington The House and Senate last month set the stage for a conference that will decide the fate of Medicare reform. Casting Bill Thomas chairman of -
Legislation & Regulation
Face to Face with Reimbursement
Washington’s face may not have launched a thousand ships, but it certainly prompted thousands of HME providers to brave the seas of reimbursement over the past year. For some, the voyage was short, yielding approvals at every turn. For others, the voyage never ended, as denied claims piled up, payments stalled and the HIPAA deadline grew closer. The following pages hold snapshots from those voyages, provided by a few hundred of your peers. In May, HomeCare mailed reimbursement questionnaires to 1,500 randomly selected domestic subscribers, asking about denials, appeals, days sales outstanding, third-party payers and more. Many of the respondents were small, full-service HME providers. In fact, of the 353 participating businesses, 40.5 percent reported annual revenue of less than $1 million. Another 41.3 percent... -
Fate of NCB Lies in Conference, Experts Say
Washington Pushing to resolve Medicare-reform legislation before the July 4 recess, both houses of Congress were poised to vote, at press time, on prescription