DALLAS—Questions about how moves by the Trump administration could impact the homecare industry dominated at Medtrade—especially potential cuts to Medicaid and tariffs—but answers were largely absent.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 1, 2017)—Home medical equipment (HME) suppliers who use Brightree software now have access to a new tool that will make it easier to participate in industry efforts to collect data on Medicare audits. This tool pulls together much of the data sought for the quarterly HME Audit Key Survey, an initiative supporting industry efforts to advocate on Capitol Hill and at CMS for much-needed audit reform.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2016)—As anticipated last week, the DME MACs collectively released revised coding and coverage requirements for ventilators in the Frequent and Substantial Servicing (FSS) payment category. The new guidance removes the imminent death criteria from the coverage, which is now applicable under the following conditions:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 7, 2016)—Recently, the American Association of Respiratory Care, the American College of Chest Physicians and the National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care submitted a reconsideration of the current Medicare National Coverage Determination for home ventilators, including bi-level devices to CMS.
LAS VEGAS (February 1, 2016)—Medtrade Spring is just one month away, and it’s not too late to find reasonable airfare and book a hotel to Las Vegas. This year’s show is scheduled for February 29–March 2, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 29, 2105)—President Obama signed The Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act (S. 2425) into law yesterday.
The bill, which was quickly passed through Congress using a rare "hot-line" procedure in the Senate, and then by unanimous consent in the House on December 18, includes a one year delay on the application of Medicare competitive bid pricing to complex rehab technology (CRT) accessories used with Group 3 power wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 23, 2015)—The initial HME Audit Key test survey from earlier this year tracked audits received from October 2014 through June 2015. One of the preliminary findings was suppliers appealed 80 percent of MAC prepayment denials for respiratory products, and 92 percent were overturned. While based on a small test pool of participants, other findings from the survey indicate that:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2015)—Under a rare procedure to get a bill quickly considered by Congress, the The Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act (S. 2425) was passed by both the Senate and House today.
BISMARCK, N.D. (November 16, 2015)—AAHomecare officials met with its entire North Dakota delegation in March 2014 in Bismarck, at Great Plains Rehabilitation Services, and started discussing all the problems associated with competitive bidding.
ATLANTA (October 27, 2015)—If CMS has its way, rural providers will face a reimbursement reduction of up to 45% on January 1, 2016. The so-called “rural rollout” of competitive bidding is a major concern for Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare, but it’s one of many.
WASHINGTON D.C. (September 2, 2015)—When the four DME MACs released draft local coverage determinations (LCDs) for lower limb prosthetics on July 16, they had no idea what they were in for.
