Pittsburgh Paper Posts Balanced Look at Competitive Bidding

After several weeks of derogatory articles in the press, home
medical equipment providers — at least those in the western
area of Pennsylvania — finally caught a break last week when
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette painted what most in the
industry would call a more balanced picture of the effects of
competitive bidding.

“‘Competitive’ is a misnomer of Orwellian proportions,’” the
Nov. 29 article quotes John Shirvinsky, executive director of the
Pennsylvania Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers, as saying.
“You cannot eliminate nine out of 10 competitors from the market
and expect to achieve a competitive result.” The article, Upcoming limits worry device providers by
Daniel Malloy, also quotes beneficiaries; Laurence Wilson, director
of chronic care policy for CMS; and Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., and
Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.

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