AMARILLO, Texas — With all the confusion surrounding CMS' new post-cap oxygen payment rules, it's time for some answers. Beginning a special series today for HomeCare Monday, Lisa K. Smith, Esq., an attorney with the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato, P.C., a law firm based in Amarillo, Texas, responds to several of home medical equipment providers' most common questions about the new rules.
HomeCare News
WASHINGTON — The rebuilding of the nation's health care structure will be led by former South Dakota Sen.
NEW BERLIN, Wisc. — Home Care Medical has expanded with a newly redesigned 8,400-sq. ft. retail store in Milwaukee. "Our motto at our retail facility is try before you buy! At our retail store, a client has the ability to try scooters, walkers, wheelchairs, designer lift chairs and more," said Patti Kelnhofer, manager.
SARASOTA, Fla. — Harmar Mobility has appointed Michael E. Parsons vice president of sales and marketing. Previously, Parsons served as North American vice president of sales for Invacare Corp. and held various other positions throughout his 27-year career at the company, including credit manager, assistant treasurer and president of Invalease, Invacare's leasing subsidiary.
WASHINGTON — According to Washington insiders, an interim final rule for DMEPOS competitive bidding could be out soon, as publication by Dec. 19 would allow its enactment before a new administration is in place.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — With just weeks to go before the 36-month oxygen cap — and CMS' new policy and payment regulations surrounding it — take effect Jan. 1, the cries of those in the home oxygen sector have grown increasingly vocal as HME organizations pursue several different strategies to fight it.
MIAMI — In a near-11th hour attempt to derail the 36-month oxygen rental cap that goes into effect Jan. 1, the Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America is asking providers to file complaints with the Small Business Administration this week.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, in an advisory opinion issued Nov. 19, gave the go to two HME providers to place equipment in hospital supply closets and have licensed personnel either on site or on call to train patients in the use of respiratory equipment.
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Apria Healthcare Group has appointed Norman C. Payson, MD, as CEO of the giant provider.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Payson received his Doctor of Medicine degree at Dartmouth Medical School, after which he practiced as a primary care physician including service at a Native American reservation in the public health service.
MELBOURNE, Fla. — According to HME consultant Wallace Weeks of Weeks Group, it's now an unwelcome fact of life for the industry's providers: The only way to absorb the impending 9.5 percent reimbursement cut without having profit decline is to create excess profit.
But how can providers do that?
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — People with diabetes spend an average $4,174 more every year on medical costs than those who don't have the disease, a gap that increases substantially each year following initial diagnosis, according to a study in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care.
In an early alert memorandum released Nov. 26, HHS' Office of Inspector General notified CMS that some DMEPOS suppliers with outstanding Medicare debt may still be receiving payments by operating companies that are publicly fronted by business associates, family members or other individuals posing as owners.
WASHINGTON — In a move that sparked some cautious optimism among home medical equipment stakeholders, President-elect Barack Obama last week named former Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota to head up the Department of Health and Human Services.
BALTIMORE — Last week CMS issued a special edition MLN Matters article explaining changes in Medicare payment for oxygen that brought a fresh outcry from HME advocates about the new rules and provider responsibilities.
MIAMI — Board members of the Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America filed a complaint about CMS' new oxygen regulations with the Small Business Administration through their own companies Thursday.
WASHINGTON — In a strategic move to have a strong voice in health care reform in Congress, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., announced last week he has created three committee work groups to forge legislation that would reform the nation's fractured health care system.
WASHINGTON — The economic value of family caregiving in the United States reached $375 billion in 2007—exceeding the $311 billion spent for Medicaid last year—according to a new report by AARP's Public Policy Institute. The new estimate reflects an increase in the U.S. population, the aging of the population and a higher estimate of the average value for one hour of care, AARP said.
MIAMI — The owner of 13 South Florida DME companies and three clinics pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with a Medicare scheme involving nearly $57 million in false claims, federal prosecutors announced Nov. 14.
Delray Beach, Fla.-based DIABCO Healthware Software Solutions has appointed Virginia Greenwood as its new national sales manager. Greenwood brings 12 years of experience in sales and is also an expert in consulting and management services.
The word from Erika Williams, ombudsman for the National Supplier Clearinghouse, is that the final rule on provider standards could contain six to 10 more standards when it is issued. When will that be? No one knows, Williams said at last month's Medtrade.