WASHINGTON — Last week a coalition of physician groups again called on legislators to put together a new Medicare payment system for doctors. Under the current formula, if Congress doesn't act to stop reimbursement cuts scheduled for Jan. 1, 2012, the docs are looking at a 29.5 percent pay cut, according to CMS.
HomeCare News
WASHINGTON — Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., sent a letter to President Obama last week listing CMS' national competitive bidding program among regulations that pose a negative economic impact.
DURHAM, N.C. — Marcia Ladd, president of the North Carolina Association for Medical Equipment Services, recently told the national ombudsman of the U.S. Small Business Administration that Medicare competitive bidding is keeping her company, Triangle Aftercare, from hiring more workers and is forcing other North Carolina HME providers into staffing and service cuts, according to a release.
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Apria Healthcare has completed its acquisition of Praxair's United States home care business, according to a March 7 release.
Praxair provided home respiratory services, HME and enteral nutrition through more than 80 branches across the country. With over $2 billion in annual revenues, Apria provides home respiratory therapy, HME and home infusion through approximately 500 locations in the U.S.
ELYRIA, Ohio — On March 7, Invacare entered into a share purchase agreement with Executive Chairman Mal Mixon under which he sold 350,000 common shares to the company at $29.94 per share. The manufacturer funded the repurchase with borrowings under its senior secured revolving credit facility, according to an SEC filing.
ATLANTA — Although cautious about appearing to embrace the idea of a competitive bidding redesign, providers will be at the table in College Park, Md., when economist Peter Cramton puts on a mock auction for home medical equipment at the University of Maryland.
ATLANTA — Nationwide, the average gas price crept over $3.50 per gallon this week according to fueleconomy.gov, and predictions put the price at $4 or more by the summer. That's a burden sure to be felt by already cash-strapped HME providers across America when they pay at the pump.
ELYRIA, Ohio — If you're looking for a bit of good news in the home medical equipment sector, here it is: Congress is finally interested in what is going on in this industry, particularly in competitive bidding.
"There is huge interest on the Hill," said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare Corp. "That is encouraging. So we need to be doing more. Everybody needs to be doing more."
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Peter Cramton, the economist who has warned Congress about the flaws in CMS' competitive bidding design, is planning a mock HME auction "to show what a well-run auction would be like," he said Friday.
Cramton has put together a Medicare auction conference to be held at the University of Maryland April 1. The event will include a mock auction for home medical equipment products.
BALTIMORE — CMS announced last week that beginning March 25, newly enrolling and revalidating providers and suppliers will be placed in one of three screening categories — limited, moderate or high — representing their level of risk for fraud. Newly enrolling DMEPOS suppliers have been assigned to the high-risk group.
FARGO, N.D. — The Recovery Audit Contractor in DME MAC Jurisdiction D will no longer target CPAP equipment and supplies for audits when Medicare did not pay for the required sleep test, AAHomecare reported last week.
LAS VEGAS — Nielsen Expositions, owner and producer of Medtrade Spring, has announced a new "Lunch and Learn" roundtable event. To be held on Tuesday, April 12, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. the educational and networking session will offer attendees an opportunity to meet with leading industry experts and their peers to discuss current issues facing the home medical equipment industry.
BALTIMORE — CMS has issued frequently asked questions related to competitive bidding when a change in suppliers takes place.
Find the FAQS on the newly revamped Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor website at www.dmecompetitivebid.com. Under "What's New," select "Transition from Non-Contract Suppliers to Contract Suppliers FAQs."
BALTIMORE — CMS representatives on an Open Door Forum March 2 said they had no information yet on the new DME face-to-face exam requirement. They did say, however, that instructions for Round 1 contract winners who must submit information on the products and brands provided to Medicare beneficiaries would be out shortly.
WASHINGTON — Home care champion Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., will present the keynote address at AAHomecare's Washington Legislative Conference March 16-17, the association announced last week. Other speakers confirmed for the conference include Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Pa.; Heath Shuler, D-N.C.; Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.; and Georgia Republicans Phil Gingrey and Tom Price.
BALTIMORE — CMS will hold a meeting of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) on April 5 to discuss the status of the Round 1 rebid and upcoming rounds of the Medicare DMEPOS competitive bidding program, according to a notice.
Scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, the meeting will be held at the CMS building at 7500 Security Blvd. in Baltimore, Md.
FARGO, N.D. — Noridian Administrative Services has received another contract as the DME MAC for Jurisdiction D, which includes 17 states and three U.S. island territories.
The new contract is valued at $86.2 million and includes the base year plus four one-year options to renew. CMS awarded the contract Feb. 16, and it took effect on March 1.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rotech Healthcare reported its fourth quarter and year-end financials last week, and the company is pleased with its performance, President and CEO Phil Carter said in a release.
For the three months ended Dec. 31, net revenues rose slightly to $123.8 million compared to $123.2 million for the same period in 2009. For the year, net revenues grew to $496.4 million from $479.9 million in 2009.
WASHINGTON — In a letter to President Barack Obama sent yesterday, 42 Senate Republicans asked him to withdraw the nomination of Donald Berwick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
WASHINGTON — In three separate House and Senate hearings on health care fraud and abuse Wednesday, legislators got an earful from representatives of the Office of Inspector General, who said they were making headway in the fight to get rid of it.
Committee members also heard how easy it was to game the system from a man convicted of Medicare fraud.