Update: On Wedneday, November 30, 2016, the House passed the measure with sweeping bipartisan support.
competitive bidding
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 17, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s leading home oxygen therapy provider and manufacturing companies—today urged lawmakers in Congress to prioritize enactment of provisions of the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act before the end of the congressional session. The PADME Act would reinstate the phase-in period of deep Medicare cuts to home respiratory care supplies and services.
ATLANTA (November 16, 2016)—Despite a year that saw two major reimbursement reductions courtesy of competitive bidding’s rural expansion, Medtrade attendees and exhibitors remained positive.
ATLANTA (November 2, 2016)—Day three at Medtrade got off to an optimistic start with United States Representative Tom Price, M.D. (R-Ga) telling attendees that there was a “significant possibility that we can get a year’s delay [on bid expansion] starting January 1, 2017.”
NAHC to File Lawsuit to Stop Pre-Claim
A national association is striking back against the “failed” Pre-Claim Review Demonstration (PCRD) with a plan to file a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)
WASHINGTON, D.C (October 19, 2016)—A study released today by the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) shows that Medicare reimbursement rates for home medical equipment cover just 88 percent of overall costs for companies providing this service.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2016)—Dan Starck, chair of CQRC, responds to the GAO Access Report on Competitive Bidding:
"While the CQRC has supported competitive bidding in concept, we remain deeply concerned about the implementation of the competitive bidding program. Today's report shows that fewer beneficiaries are receiving home oxygen therapy in light of competitive bidding."
WATERLOO, Iowa (September 7, 2016)—VGM’s Government Relations team is spearheading a grassroots effort to recruit hospital executives to join the fight against Medicare’s most recent cut to reimbursements.
On July 1 DME providers incurred an additional 25 percent cut for Medicare reimbursements due to the Competitive Bidding Program. Many sectors across the health care industry are feeling the aftershock of difficulties stemming from the DME industry.
WASHINGTON, D.C (August 26, 2016)—Home medical equipment providers who serve our nation’s military personnel are being hit with shocking new Medicare reimbursement cuts thanks to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to widely apply rates from its competitive bidding program outside its original footprint in metro areas to now encompass the entire country.
LENEXA, Kan. (August 25, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc., is hosting a free webinar for attendees August 31 at 1 p.m. CST, 2 p.m. EST to discuss how providers can use tactical strategies that can put their DME business on the upside even if they lose a competitive bidding contract. The webinar is titled “How the Losing Bidder Can Enter the DME Bid Arena,” presented by Jeffrey S. Baird, chairman of the health care group of Brown & Fortunato.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 24, 2016)—Yesterday, AAHomecare submitted comments on CMS-1651-P, a rule from CMS that proposes to make some adjustments to the Competitive Bidding Program. CMS proposed to make several positive changes, such as increasing the bid ceiling to the 2015 unadjusted fee schedule and expanding the appeals process for breach of contract actions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 26, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has launched a new initiative to survey medical professionals and other individuals in the caregiving continuum to measure the impact of recent Medicare reimbursement cuts on seniors, as well as people with disabilities and chronic conditions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2016)—AAHomecare has received confirmation that H.R. 5210, the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act, did not successfully clear through the Senate before adjournment last night thanks to a hold placed by an unidentified Senator. This means the July 1 round of cuts for rural and non-bid area suppliers will remain in effect unless Congress takes action when they return in September.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has commissioned Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC to conduct a full study of suppliers’ fixed and variable costs for furnishing the services associated with supplying durable medical equipment. While limited cost study analyses have been performed in the past, this will be the first to consider DME in multiple categories that are under threat by competitive bidding pricing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare praised legislation to delay a new round of Medicare reimbursement cuts for rural and non-bid area home medical equipment providers that passed the House today. An amended version of the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 (H.R. 5210), passed through the House via voice vote Tuesday, includes the following provisions:
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.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 30, 2016)—Advocacy group People for Quality Care is calling on HME providers to engage their patients in immediate advocacy. The organization joins the VGM Group, American Association for Homecare and state associations in a grassroots effort focused on garnering Congressional support for a joint solution to Medicare’s competitive bidding program by July 15.
—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 24, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s leading home oxygen therapy provider and manufacturing companies—expressed disappointment that the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act (H.R. 5210) before adjourning. The PADME Act is pro-patient legislation to delay the phase-in of deep Medicare cuts to home respiratory care supplies and services.
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.