WATERLOO, Iowa--This week, nearly 1,000 HME providers, manufacturers and speakers are expected in Waterloo, Iowa, for the VGM Group’s Heartland Conference 2008.
Set to kick off tonight, the primary conference venue will be the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, and the Waterloo Center for the Arts will also be used. While the annual event is famous for its hog roast, officials say this year’s conference will offer more than the perfect pig.
WASHINGTON--Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark, D-Calif., chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, is expected to introduce a bill as early as this week calling for a delay of Medicare’s DMEPOS competitive bidding project, industry insiders said last week.
But the only way for such a proposal to gain traction is for the home medical equipment industry to exert as much pressure as possible on members of Congress to back the bill, stakeholders said.
BALTIMORE--A second CMS provider training call last week showed just how many questions about competitive bidding remain.
Among a barrage of detail-oriented queries, a range of topics included subcontracting, patient residency, what will happen in cases where contract winners are not licensed (if required) in states where they won bids and what exactly is being done to educate beneficiaries about the impending changes.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--With less than 30 days before the implementation of round one of competitive bidding, questions about the status of some bid winners has added another concern to what the industry already sees as a flawed process.
BALTIMORE--On Wednesday, CMS posted two new tip sheets related to competitive bidding, one on grandfathering and another for referral agents.
Along with clarifications on questions about picking up equipment if necessary and special payment and billing rules, the tip sheet on grandfathering includes a link to a sample notice that can be used to let beneficiaries know about a provider's decision to become (or not become) a grandfathered supplier.
BALTIMORE--Earlier this afternoon, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the names of the winning contract suppliers for round one of competitive bidding, set to take effect July 1.
In a 2 p.m. press briefing with reporters, acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems said 325 medical equipment suppliers have signed contracts in the 10 competitive bidding areas selected for rollout of the program.
WASHINGTON--Following a congressional hearing on national competitive bidding that opened up grave questions about the program, Reps. John Tanner, D-Tenn.; David Hobson, R-Ohio; and Jason Altmire, D-Pa., are urging their colleagues to sign on to a letter asking for a one-year delay of the Medicare DMEPOS bidding program.
CLEVELAND--The industry’s fierce battle to delay competitive bidding took on extra firepower last week when attorneys requested an injunction that would delay the July 1 implementation of the CMS project.
WASHINGTON--Following Pride Mobility Products' findings of possible round one bidding improprieties in the Riverside-San Bernadino CBA, federal legislators representing southern California have added their weight to the call for an investigation of the matter.
BALTIMORE--In back-to-back teleconferences last week, CMS unleashed a veritable tidal wave of information for providers preparing for the implementation of competitive bidding--well, almost.
BALTIMORE--The news on competitive bidding and other government initiatives is moving a mile a minute and, at that breakneck speed, it’s easy to miss something that could be imperative for your business. To help, HomeCare has assembled the following list of dates and events to keep you prepared.
ATLANTA--A CMS regulation regarding assistive technology suppliers is still evoking concern and confusion, even though it was implemented April 1, industry stakeholders said last week.
LONG BEACH, Calif.--After years of escaping Congress' attempts to get Medicare competitive bidding in place, the HME industry finally succumbed when the program was mandated under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Since then, the topic has been top-of-mind at virtually every industry gathering.
WASHINGTON — At a Tuesday afternoon hearing convened by the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, sentiment swung to HME as Chairman Fortney "Pete" Stark, D-Calif., said he would try to stop competitive bidding.
LONG BEACH, Calif.--Medtrade Spring attendees expecting a somber show and bleak industry forecast instead were re-energized last week when industry efforts in Washington, D.C., took a turn for the better.
BALTIMORE--While the industry's efforts to stop competitive bidding continue to pick up steam, so does CMS' implementation of round one, set to take effect July 1.
According to a Friday afternoon update from the American Association for Homecare, CMS officials sang the praises of the bidding program in a conference call last week aimed at beneficiary groups.
WASHINGTON--According to an advisory sent Tuesday, a number of people have reported receiving an email proported to have been sent from the Congressional Budget Office. But instead of bad news about government costs, this time it's about the email itself, which actually "is a malicious message with a PDF attachment containing a dangerous virus," the advisory said.
PITTSBURGH--A recent report from merger-and-acquisition specialist The Braff Group reflects the effects of both competitive bidding and the Deficit Reduction Act's 36-month oxygen rental cap on the HME market.
BALTIIMORE--Last week, CMS announced details of a new project encouraging Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of Internet-based resources to track health care services and communicate with their providers.
WASHINGTON — The HME industry's cries may not have stymied competitive bidding, but at least Congress is listening.
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing on the Medicare bidding program tomorrow, sending advocates into high gear urging stakeholders to contact their representatives immediately to air their views.
