As reported by Ilene MacDonald with FierceHealthcare, although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to tout the success of the Pioneer accountable care organizations, the agency confirmed in an announcement that nine will leave the experimental program. The agency confirmed that Pioneers are abandoning the program, saying that seven did not produce savings and intend to apply to the alternative ACO model, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).
AffloVest
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is launching a new instrument for 2013 called the Medicare Administrative Contractor Satisfaction Indicator (MSI). The MSI is a tool that measures your satisfaction with the Medicare claims administrative contractor(s) that serve you. This measuring tool will provide the best opportunity for you to rate your satisfaction with your MAC. Your input will help your MAC to improve the services that they offer you.
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 11, 2013—Just nine days into Round 2, AAHomecare is receiving reports of delays, equipment shortages and contractors refusing services in bid areas around the country. Yet, CMS is reporting just a few dozen complaints.
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 1, 2013—Although you may not have felt it, on July 1, 2013, the earth certainly moved under the feet of DME suppliers across the country. It was the beginnings of a tectonic shift in how consumers will get their home medical equipment and supplies. Cracks began to show up on the surface of the DME world over the past months but on July 1, fissures began to open up that will swallow a large number of suppliers and the patients they serve.
BALTIMORE, Md., July 5, 2013—The Coordination of Benefits and Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery sections on the Medicare tab of the cms.gov website have been combined into a single, comprehensive section titled Coordination of Benefits & Recovery. The redesign consolidates information into groupings by audience and topic. To access the new Web pages go to www.cms.gov and click on the Medicare tab near the top of the page.
WATERLOO, Iowa, June 27, 2013—According to VGM & Associates, on June 21 healthcare advocates and medical equipment suppliers came from across the country to gather in Iowa for a Regulatory Fairness Hearing hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Joined by representatives from several Congressional offices, they testified about Medicare’s competitive bidding program and its potential to hurt industry, threaten patients and cost taxpayers.
ARLINGTON, Va., June 27, 2013—An opinion piece appearing on the POLITICO website by Rep. Glenn Thompson and Rep. Bruce Braley reads: “At a time when bipartisanship is rare in Washington, a majority of members of the U.S.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 18, 2013—According to Getahn Ward of The Tennessean, the federal Medicare program has dropped nearly a third of the companies chosen to continue supplying home medical equipment to beneficiaries statewide, leaving even fewer suppliers as part of its controversial competitive bidding program set to kick off in Tennessee in less than two weeks.
WATERLOO, Iowa, June 18, 2013—VGM Group, Inc. has signed an agreement with Medicare Advantage insurance expert Benefits-365. “We are delighted to have Benefits-365 owner Tom Ivany and his very experienced colleagues on board to assist our members with this unique Medicare Advantage solution.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 19, 2013—The American Association for Homecare, along with a home medical equipment provider from Maryland, announce the filing of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., asking that the scheduled July 1 expansion of the Medicare competitive bidding program (CBP) for durable medical equipment (DME) be stopped because of serious licensing irregularities.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2013—As turmoil escalates with disclosures that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded contracts to unlicensed home medical equipment providers, the Ohio congressional delegation asked CMS to suspend the controversial bidding program that selects suppliers to provide durable medical equipment (DME) to Medicare beneficiaries.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 14, 2013—In less than a month the congressional letter to CMS Administrator Marilynn Tavenner (Click here to read.) asking for a delay implementing Round 2 has gained the support of a majority of the House.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 14, 2013—On June 7, NHIC Corp. released a notice titled “Detailed Written Orders and Face-to-Face Encounters” informing DME providers of changes to documentation requirements for face-to-face encounters (Read Order Here).
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 6, 2013—AAHomecare reports that, according to a letter Humana sent out recently to its members, starting July 1 the company will use rates from CMS’ national bidding program to reimburse out-of-network DME providers. Members are advised to change providers if theirs is unwilling to accept the lower rates.
BALTIMORE, Md., June 5, 2013—As reported on the PRNewswire-USNewswire, Medicare’s national bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) is violating its own rules and may endanger beneficiaries after awarding contracts to winning bidders who haven’t qualified for proper state and local licenses or accreditations, according to the American Association for Homecare.
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 23, 2013—All of the congressional speakers at last week’s Washington Legislative Conference sessions had the same message for the homecare sector: Tell us your stories. “It is truly important to talk with your elected representatives,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2013—Currently H.R. 1717, the Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2013, has 44 cosponsors. It needs to get at least as many cosponsors as H.R. 6490, which had 94. To make this happen, everyone must do their part.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 10, 2013—In grandfathering documents posted here (www.dmecompetitivebid.com), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) states: “Non-contract suppliers must provide written notification of their decision whether to be a grandfathered supplier to all of their Medicare beneficiaries who reside in a competitive bidding area (CBA) and are currently renting competitively bid DME or oxygen and oxygen equipment at least 30 business days prior to pro
BALTIMORE, Md., April 1, 2013—According to Tom Murphy, business writer for the Associated Press, Medicare Advantage customers may not see the drastic benefit cuts or premium hikes next year that insurers have been warning about after all. Health insurers had predicted big, painful changes for many of their Medicare Advantage customers after the federal government said in February that the amount it pays per person for the popular coverage could fall more than 2 percent in 2014.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 19, 2013—AAHomecare and senior officials at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) met recently to discuss documentation requirements for repairs to power mobility devices (PMDs), as well as the prior authorization demonstration project.
BALTIMORE, Md., April 11, 2013—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announces the scheduled release of modifications to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code set. These changes have been posted to the HCPCS website. Changes are effective on the date indicated on the update.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 11, 2013—According to AAHomecare, at last week’s Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing for Marilyn Tavenner, acting CMS administrator, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) highlighted the specific areas on which he wanted Tavenner to focus: