AUSTIN, Texas — On Feb. 11, Texas Medicaid providers were surprised to learn of changes to incontinence products quantities that will take effect April 1. According to Barry Johnson, president of the Texas Alliance for Home Care Services, the change was posted on the state's Medicaid website "literally overnight with no notice."
HomeCare News
ATLANTA — When it comes to home medical equipment, government agencies have never been known for their promptness or clarity on notification or guidance for new policies.
In Georgia, providers were notified Dec. 28 that the face-to-face requirement under the Affordable Care Act would be effective Jan. 1, 2011, when serving the state's Medicaid patients.
ATLANTA — Here's the HME industry's response to CMS, the GAO and the Obama administration: We're not giving up on a repeal of competitive bidding.
WASHINGTON — Medicare's Fraud Strike Force has charged 111 defendants in nine cities with alleged fraud schemes, HHS and the Department of Justice announced Feb. 17. Authorities said the operation was the largest-ever federal health care fraud takedown.
All told, the doctors, nurses, health care company executives and others charged in the indictments and complaints were responsible for more than $225 million in fraudulent billing, officials said.
WASHINGTON — How are things going with competitive bidding? It depends who you ask.
Round 1 of the Medicare program began Jan. 1 in nine cities across the country and, according to CMS, it's working just fine.
WASHINGTON — In spite of the fact that Congress has reduced rates — several times since 1998 — capped rental payments at 36 months and directed CMS to use competitive bidding, the Government Accountability Office thinks Medicare's reimbursements for home oxygen should be lower still.
WASHINGTON — With a proposal that would limit federal Medicaid payments to Medicare's competitive bidding rates, President Obama's 2012 budget left home care advocates reeling after its Monday morning release. A second proposal would require prepayment review for all power wheelchairs.
ATLANTA — As if it weren't enough to be hammered by competitive bidding and audits that squeeze the life out of Medicare reimbursements, HME providers across the country are also trying to fend off what looks to be a new round of debilitating Medicaid cuts.
EXETER, Pa. — With elimination of the first-month purchase option, Pride Mobility Products announced Feb. 9 it has formed Galaxy Mobility Financial Services, a wholly owned subsidiary that will furnish inventory financing and working capital to help Pride providers transition to the power wheelchair sector's new rental environment.
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Last week SleepQuest announced a 44 percent increase in 2010 fourth quarter earnings over 2009, citing growth in all areas of the business including diagnostics, titration, therapy and ongoing care for OSA patients.
"2010 was an extraordinary year for SleepQuest as we continued our national expansion and expanded operations," Robert Koenigsberg, president and CEO, said in a release.
ARLINGTON, Va. — AAHomecare is conducting two surveys to help inform policymakers about power wheelchair and oxygen policies.
MIAMI — New Florida Republican Reps. David Rivera and Allen West heard about the impact of job losses under competitive bidding at their district offices' "grand opening" events, the Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America reported last week.
WATERLOO, Iowa — VGM Group was represented at The Brain Injury Association of Iowa's Advocacy Day at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines Feb. 3.
ATLANTA — Brightree announced earlier this month that it has acquired Sacramento, Calif.-based Pacware Software Development, adding 800 providers and boosting its customer base to more than 2,000. The growing HME software developer will leverage Pacware's investments "in capabilities such as advanced data conversion utilities for competitive software products in the market," according to a release.
HONG KONG — The new China Sourcing Fair: Medical & Health Products will be held at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo April 20-23, organizers announced. The inaugural event will showcase innovations in medical equipment and care supplies along with other products from exhibitors from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other fast-growing Asian supply hubs.
For information, go to www.chinasourcingfair.com.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Lincare reported this week that net revenues for the quarter ended Dec. 31 were $422.1 million, a 4 percent increase over $405.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2009. Net income rose 13.4 percent in the quarter to $46.1 million, compared to $40.6 million in the prior year.
BALTIMORE — Getting paid for oxygen is no easy task these days, judging by the questions on a joint CMS-DME MAC CERT call last week. Members of the CERT (Comprehensive Error Rate Testing) Education Task Force held a teleconference Feb. 3 to answer questions on oxygen coverage, testing requirements, CMNs and documentation — and there was no lack of them.
ATLANTA — A tidal wave of trouble is on the way for those in the mail-order diabetic supply market as thousands of beneficiaries attempt to find new providers under competitive bidding, stakeholders predicted last week.
WASHINGTON — A 111-page final rule expanding the power of the Department of Health and Human Services to fight fraud could bring significant changes to HME providers.
And those changes, said Neil Caesar of the Health Law Center in Greenville, S.C., could depend on where your business is in the country, as well as your history.
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — The Scooter Store announced last week it has received financing from an affiliate of private investment firm Sun Capital Partners that "sets the stage for future growth and potential acquisitions."
The deal will "cover the cash required for us for working capital to fund the 13-month payment cycle" resulting from elimination of the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs, said founder and CEO Doug Harrison.