WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 17, 2018)—Industry stakeholders are rolling out a new resource to help suppliers prepare for the next round of the Medicare competitive bidding program for HME.
AAHomecare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 4, 2018)—In June 2018, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health & Human Services reported that most Medicare claims for replacement positive airway pressure device supplies did not comply with Medicare requirements. A sample of 110 claims were reviewed, and 86 did not meet the requirements, totaling $13,414 in overpayments.
ATLANTA (September 20, 2018)—Industry advocate and leader Regina Gillispie, president and owner of West Virginia-based Best Home Medical, will be honored as the recipient of the 2018 Van Miller Homecare Champion Award at the upcoming Medtrade show in Atlanta, Georgia.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 20, 2018)—Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has released a Congressional sign-on letter to leadership at CMS, HHS and OMB asking for additional relief for the HME community in the proposed ESRD/DMEPOS Rule currently under consideration. The letter is expected to close by Friday, September 28. AAHomecare asd HME providers and other stakeholders to ask their Representatives in the House to join the letter.
Reach a growing market willing to pay for the products they want and need
WATERLOO, Iowa (September 5, 2018)—Industry advocates can now leverage a new platform to educate and activate end-users, family caregivers and their community through People for Quality Care’s e-newsletter. The monthly newsletter features advocacy and lifestyle articles peppered with current opportunities to self-advocate on key legislative initiatives.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 29, 2018)—On August 24, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the effects of reimbursement cuts in non-bid areas in the year following their implementation in January 2016.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 23, 2018)—AAHomecare’s Medical Supplies Council is conducting a survey to evaluate the impact of sole source contracts on beneficiary access to care. Beneficiaries and case managers in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and Texas are invited to take a brief survey to share their experiences.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 20, 2018)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) submitted comments on the ESRD/DMEPOS Proposed Rule that CMS released in mid-July.
WASHINGTON, D.C. and ATLANTA (August 9, 2018)—Nominate a colleague to be honored as the 2018 Van Miller Homecare Champion at the Stand Up for Homecare reception at Medtrade in Atlanta. The award recognizes an AAHomecare member who has made an exceptional contribution to the homecare sector throughout their career in one or more of the following ways:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 9, 2018)—The Grassroots Accountability Project is gaining momentum as it unifies and activates industry stakeholders in engaging legislators about key HME issues. The goal of the project is to assign a grassroots HME advocate to all 535 federal legislative offices. Originating in AAHomecare’s State Leaders Council, this multi-stakeholder effort has the support of AAHomecare, VGM, The MED Group and numerous state and regional associations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 12, 2018)—On Tuesday, July 10, the Trump administration released a new list of goods imported from China that could face 10 percent tariffs. Items on the list that may be of particular interest to the HME community include:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 12, 2018)—AAHomecare has developed a new two-page summary that recaps 16 significant reimbursement policy shifts affecting the HME community, including fee schedule adjustments, the implementation of competitive bidding, expansion of bidding-derived prices nationwide, and limiting the federal allowable for Medicaid.
Catching up with AAHomecare's efforts to clarify Medicaid Cures claims
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2018)—On Friday, June 16, 2018, the Administration announced that Section 301 Tariffs on a range of products imported from China would move forward. Thanks in part to quick action by DME stakeholders, several product categories were among items removed from the original 1,333 items proposed for a 25 percent tariff levy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 7, 2018)—Since 2015, AAHomecare has been tracking the number of suppliers and their locations to monitor the impact of competitive bidding and other factors on the industry. The analysis has helped to bring these issues to the attention of Congressional offices and HHS to illustrate the need for more sustainable Medicare reimbursement rates and bidding program reforms.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 4, 2018)—On Friday, June 1, 2018, CMS released CMS-6080-N, “Medicare Program; Update to the Required Prior Authorization List of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Items That Require Prior Authorization as a Condition of Payment.”
CMS Provider Compliance Group provides insight during keynote speech.
Tom Ryan (left) of AAHomecare presented Doug Coleman with the Mal Mixon Award
Effective date of August 1 give providers time to adapt.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 14, 2018)—Effective August 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will require suppliers to use KX, GA, GY and GZ modifiers on oxygen claims. The KX modifier will indicate when payment criteria is met, and the GA, GY and GZ modifiers provide more information for oxygen claims that do not meet payment criteria.
Fee increase and beneficiary cost sharing noted as points to watch.
By Kristin Easterling
(May 10, 2018)—After months of advocacy from AAHomecare and other industry stakeholders, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and CMS have cleared the Interim Final Rule related to HME (CMS-1687-IFC) to increase fee schedule rates for certain DME items and services through 2018. Language in the recent Omnibus bill also urged the Administration to release the rule and move on relief for rural providers.
WATERLOO, Iowa (May 9, 2018)—Advocacy efforts are on the rise as we near the Washington Legislative Conference as the industry pushes for relief for non‐bid areas, structural reforms to the competitive bidding program, and a critical exemption of CRT accessories from bidding‐derived pricing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2018)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has retained Brown & Fortunato, P.C., a Texas-based law firm with a national health care practice, to provide a range of legal and advisory services. Longtime HME advocate Cara Bachenheimer, who is set to join Brown & Fortunato on June 1, will be taking a leading role in this engagement, providing General Counsel support on regulatory, legislative and Association governance fronts.