Regulatory Council makes progress

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2013—On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, AAHomecare’s Regulatory Council met at the association’s Washington, D.C., office. Discussions revolved around key issues related to bidding, audits, PECOS and the face-to-face exam requirement, as well as emerging issues such as oximetry testing in skilled nursing facilities.

With homecare providers being hammered by an ever-increasing number of audits, the council focused on the urgent need to deliver tools that will help members fight back and win. An audit tracker and several audit checklists will be released in the near future. The council also explored ways to work with Congress on legislation that would reform the audit process.

In addition, the Council created a strategy to follow up with CMS about making changes in PECOS that would turn it into a workable program. As earlier reported, CMS announced a delay in the second phase of PECOS following high-level conversations between AAHomecare and the Agency.

AAHomecare continues to work with CMS to clarify a number of issues with the face-to-face exam requirement. In the meantime, the Regulatory Council has developed an FAQ that will explain to HME providers how the requirement applies to them. After clarification is received, the FAQ will be finalized. AAHomecare has requested that CMS consider including it in the official Agency FAQ or other education tools such as the Medicare Learning Network (link). The council also recommended that AAHomecare repeat its request for a six-month implementation delay. For questions or more information contact AAHomecare’s Jay Witter at 202-372-0751.