Industry Groups Submit Comments on DME Proposed Rule

WASHINGTON, DC (February 26, 2021)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care—a coalition of the nation’s leading home respiratory therapy providers and manufacturing companies—partnered with the American Association for Homecare and The VGM Group in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Acting Administrator Elizabeth Richter urging the agency to finalize the DMEPOS rule as quickly as possible.
 
The groups write, “In light of the pandemic, it is more important than ever that the Medicare payment system provides stability to suppliers to ensure that patients who require medically necessary care and treatments in the home have access to the equipment and services. Our organizations support the flexibilities CMS has provided during the pandemic. 
 
“As important as the flexibilities are, it is also important to provide certainty in the payment system. Finalizing the proposed policy to make permanent the 50-50 blended rate for rural areas to address the higher costs for furnishing items and services in these areas is particularly important to providing such certainty. 
 
“We recognize that other provisions of the proposed rule may require additional consideration to evaluate stakeholders comments fully. To the extent that is the case, we ask that CMS does everything it can to make sure that these other provisions do not delay finalizing and implementing the DMEPOS provisions of the proposed rule.”
 
In December, CQRC submitted comments to CMS in response to the proposed DMEPOS rule supporting policies including establishing the rates in noncompetitive bidding areas (non-CBAs) designated as rural using the 50-50 blended rate and the continuation of the gap year payment methodology for products for which there is no longer a competitive bidding area. Further, CQRC asked that CMS also make permanent the 75-25 blended rate in the non-CBAs that are not designated as rural.