WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturing companies—commended Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), David Loebsack (D-IA), Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and their colleagues in the United States House of Representatives, for passing the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act (H.R.
CMS
Physician Signature Worries Home Health Agencies in Pre-Claim Demo
With just more than one month before the start of CMS's Pre-Claim Review Demonstration for Home Health Services, agencies in the five-state pilot program are eagerly looking for clarification on compliance requirements. (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)
—via AAHomecare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2016)—We’re just two days away from the second phase of bidding-derived cuts for rural and non-bid area suppliers. With the House currently out of session, there’s no chance of action before July 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—CMS announced Monday proposed changes to the Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2017 that would foster greater efficiency, flexibility, payment accuracy and improved quality. Approximately 3.4 million beneficiaries received home health services from approximately 11,400 home health agencies, costing Medicare approximately $17.8 billion in 2015.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—On June 24, CMS issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and rates under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services furnished to beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also proposes new quality measures to improve the quality of care by dialysis facilities treating patients with end-stage renal disease.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—Just minutes after AAHomecare updated members about the status of rural relief legislation on Capitol Hill, they received CMS’s announcement of the release of the 2016 DMEPOS fee schedule amounts set to take effect on July 1 for certain items outside of Competitive Bid Areas that were adjusted based on information from the bidding program.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announces the release of the July 2016 Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedule amounts. The fee schedule amounts are available here.
—via AAHomecare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2016)—As reported to the AAHomecare membership Wednesday, we were successful in passing an amended version of S.2736 through the Senate via unanimous consent on Tuesday evening.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 23, 2016)—CMS released a final rule implementing Section 216(a) of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA), requiring laboratories performing clinical diagnostic laboratory tests to report the amounts paid by private insurers for laboratory tests. Medicare will use these private insurer rates to calculate Medicare payment rates for laboratory tests paid under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) beginning January 1, 2018.
LENEXA, Kan. (June 16, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc., is hosting a free webinar for attendees Wednesday, June 29, at 2 p.m. CST (3 p.m. EST) to discuss how to successfully grow your business through marketing strategies while staying within the law. The webinar is titled “Health Care Marketing Compliance 101: Protecting Your HME/DME from the OIG and DOJ,” presented by Matthew Agnew and Stephen Angelette of Polsinelli Health Care Regulatory Associates.
CMS Launches Home Health Prior Authorization Requirement
Despite pushback from the home health industry and lawmakers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Wednesday it intends to move forward with a preauthorization requirement. (Kourtney Liepelt/Home Health Care News)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare—a coalition of home health providers dedicated to improving the integrity, quality and efficiency of home health care for our nation's seniors—today expressed disappointment with the revised home health prior authorization demonstration released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—When the Medicare program implements changes to how it pays for medical care or equipment, CMS monitors to make sure that any adjustments meet our goals of preserving access to care and facilitating better health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released a final rule improving how Medicare pays Accountable Care Organizations in the Medicare Shared Savings Program for delivering better patient care. Medicare is moving away from paying for each service a physician provides towards a system that rewards physicians for coordinating with each other.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 9, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s leading home oxygen therapy provider and manufacturing companies—commended lawmakers in the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee for reviewing legislation to sustain and improve the Medicare program, including the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act (PADME).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 8, 2016)—A newly released GAO report, “Medicare: Utilization and Expenditures for Complex Wheelchair Accessories,” was presented to Congress on June 1, 2016, just 30 days before prices derived from CMS’s flawed bidding program for home medical equipment are set to take effect for specialized complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs used by individuals with profound mobility and disability challenges.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 2, 2016)—The count is at 30 days until the July 1 cuts take effect, and AAHomecare is calling the HME community to commit to making every last effort to encourage Congress to support legislation for rural relief—The Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Acts, H.R. 5210 and S. 2736.
DALLAS (June 1, 2016)—Rising numbers of retirees and excess cost growth have made it imperative that changes be made to Medicare’s financing—or the cost burden will crush taxpayers, according to a new study by NCPA Senior Fellows Andrew J. Rettenmaier and Thomas R. Saving.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s leading home respiratory therapy providers and manufacturing companies—warned that findings released from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) signal fundamental flaws in the competitive bidding rate setting process for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 26, 2016)—The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health & Human Services today released a report that raises more concerns about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ill-conceived competitive bidding program for home medical equipment.