WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 20, 2019)—With the CB Round 2021 bid window closing Wednesday, The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) hopes to rally suppliers and other HME stakeholders to resume advocacy on HME policy priorities, including extending and expanding relief for non-bid rural suppliers (HR 2771), CRT-related legislation (HR 2293, S 1223, and HR 2408), and expected legislation on non-invasive ventilators in competitive bidding.
competitive bidding
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 10, 2019)—The DME CBP Collaboration has sent the following update to users who have registered with the dmecbpeducation.com resource related to the site's bidding calculators:
The DME CBP Collaboration thanks you for engaging in Competitive Bidding Program education.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 19, 2019)—The Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor released a new Financial Scoring Methodology fact sheet providing information about the financial scoring process used to evaluate a bidder’s financial health for Round 2021.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 2019)—More than 40% of the members of the United States House of Representatives have joined a letter asking federal regulators to keep noninvasive ventilators out of the next round of the competitive bidding program for HME.
*Updated June 7, 2019 with link to presentation.
NASHVILLE (June 5, 2019)—Some 130 providers from around the country gathered Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee, for the Bid Smart 2019 Summit, sponsored by the VGM Group, AAHomecare, the Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC), At Home Services and the Healthcare Nutrition Council. The interactive summit covered the details of Round 2021 and helped providers learn how to approach bidding fully informed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 29, 2019)—As the home medical equipment industry prepares for the next round of the competitive bidding program, patient advocacy groups are rallying around the latest category added to the program—non-invasive ventilation (NIV).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 23, 2019)—U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana plans to lead a Senate sign-on letter asking CMS and HHS to reverse course on the decision to add non-invasive vents (NIVs) to Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program, AAHomecare reports.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added a fourth webcast to its education program by splitting the previously announced “Registering and Submitting a Bid” session into two parts. The following webcasts are part of the series designed to assist bidders and sureties on key components of the Round 2021 process:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 17, 2019)—Wednesday, Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) introduced the Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment (HOME) Access Act of 2019 (HR 2771), legislation that would build upon last year’s interim final rule and ESRD/DMEPOS Final Rule. The new bill would:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2019)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting three webcasts as part of their education program to assist bidders and sureties on CB 2021. During the webcasts, CMS will be accepting questions from participants but encourages question submissions before the webcast at cbic.admin@palmettogba.com with “Webcast Question” in the subject line. Below is the schedule for the webcasts and providers can register for the first session here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2019)—New legislation to establish a separate benefit for complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs under Medicare has been introduced in the House. H.R. 2408, sponsored by Reps.
AAHomecare is tackling new challenges and looking forward in mid-2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 15, 2019)—On April 12, 2019, Reps. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) introduced H.R. 2293. This legislation excludes manual CRT wheelchairs from the competitive bidding program and suspends the use of bidding-derived pricing for manual CRT accessories for 18 months, similar to what was proposed in the CRT-related provisions of H.R. 7217 in the previous Congressional session. The official text of the new bill is not yet available.
WATERLOO, Iowa (April 5, 2019)—End users of home medical equipment (HME) and family caregivers will have an opportunity to share their experience obtaining HME, supplies and services impacted by the Competitive Bidding Program in the gap period across former competitive bid areas (CBAs), rural areas and non-bid non-rural areas through an online survey by
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 2, 2019)—AAHomecare has partnered with other leading home medical equipment (HME) stakeholders to develop comprehensive online educational resources to help suppliers understand the rules and requirements for competitive bidding (CB) Round 2021, which can be found at dmecbpeducation.com.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (February 14, 2019)—On February 12th, the Home Medical Equipment & Services Association of New England (HOMES) was invited by Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Region 1 director John McGough to the CMS and HHS Region 1 office to listen and understand issues related to Medicare policies and home medical equipment.
LAS VEGAS (January 15, 2019)—Medtrade Spring is taking shape with four workshops scheduled for Day One of the show, scheduled for April 16–18, 2019, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Key exhibitors and speakers will offer four in-depth educational opportunities on April 16, the day before the expo begins.
Recent gains won't slow down industry leaders
Competitive bidding gap period creates new considerations
