ARLINGTON, Va.--As part of a push to suspend round one of competitive bidding, the American Association for Homecare announced Friday it will hold a Washington fly-in May 21 “to convince Congress to take action to address the numerous problems that plague the bidding program.”
Said Tyler Wilson, AAHomecare president, “We expect all affected groups to participate, including home care providers, patient organizations, clinical groups and other stakeholders. We are also working with the state home care associations, the buying groups and others to engage all of the communities affected by the bidding.
“Because of the sweeping impact of bidding program, all DME providers should recognize that they have a stake in round one,” Wilson said.
Last month, the association sent a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems detailing the problems with round one of bidding. But “the mild response AAHomecare received … regarding round one concerns was not encouraging,” the association reported in its weekly newsletter. “Administrator Weems' letter failed to acknowledge any of the specific concerns or the magnitude of the problems.”
CMS has, however, asked for more detail about the problems, the association said.
Meanwhile, congressional intervention is “a top priority,” the newsletter continued. “If enough legislators pitch in and put pressure on HHS Secretary [Michael] Leavitt and CMS, the home care community may succeed in getting a suspension or some other delay in round one.”
According to the association, “there is growing support in the Senate and House for taking some sort of action on round one due to the serious, systemic errors in the implementation process,” including the improper disqualification of more than 100 providers in the 10 round one bidding areas.
Leading up to the fly-in, the association urged providers, patients and other stakeholders to contact members of Congress about potential effects of the Medicare bid. Providers can write letters, call or visit the home offices of their state's officials to make sure their legislators are informed about the issues.
AAHomecare has readied a white paper on competitive bidding that providers can use. The five-page paper details "the most serious round one concerns," the association said. Among them:
- Suppliers were erroneously disqualified based on CMS errors and based on non-substantive reasons.
- Suppliers with no history of servicing a geographical region or current business operations in a bidding area were awarded contracts.
- CMS' unwillingness to share meaningful data to fully assess the likely impact of the program on suppliers and beneficiaries. The entire implementation phase of the program has been shrouded in secrecy, and in all aspects, failed to meet customary standards of government transparency.
- CMS must resolve supplier disqualifications from round one in a transparent manner.
- Beneficiaries will face disruptions in service and reduced quality.
Details of the one-day lobbying event, including a headquarters hotel, will be available shortly, said Michael Reinemer, AAHomecare vice president, communications and policy. “But we don't want people to wait until May 21 to get in touch with their members of Congresss," Reinemer said. "We need to keep the volume up between now and then."
To download a copy of the white paper, visit www.aahomecare.org.