In the first glimmer of hope for mobility providers in a long while, a bill to delay elimination of the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs could come through as early as this week.

While providers now have ready access to spreadsheet-type data files that list both physicians who are PECOS-registered and those whose registration is pending, the system is clearly still a work in progress.

In announcing its second quarter financial results, Lincare Holdings said it had accepted two oxygen contracts in Round 1 of competitive bidding in Miami and Charlotte. The company bid in all nine MSAs.

CMS has released a competitive bidding fact sheet for referral agents advising that when the program begins in January 2011, beneficiaries located in the nine CBAs must obtain bid items from a contract supplier.

In a recent widespread probe review of post-payment claims for CPAP devices, the Jurisdiction C DME MAC said the review "showed that suppliers are not following published Medicare guidelines and policies

Home oxygen providers will have to run a tight ship and walk a thin line if they are to have any chance of staying in the business under Medicare's new reimbursement rates, industry providers said.

John Shirvinsky thinks something stinks about the Round 1 competitive bidding rates for oxygen.

In an announcement the HME industry has been both waiting to hear and dreading, the CMS has released new payment rates for the Round 1 competitive bidding rebid.

Congress needs to hear this message loud and clear.

Local voices spreading the word about bidding program.