WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 1, 2013—It’s hard to recall a week with worse news for the home care community than what occurred last Wednesday with the CMS announcement about Round 2 prices. Home care providers pride themselves in meeting Medicare’s requirements by supplying top quality products with attention to first-rate service and professionalism. An approach to their business that focuses on the Medicare beneficiary is the key to success for many home care companies.

EXETER, Penn., Feb. 1, 2013—The Round 2 payment rates are shockingly low, unsustainable and the direct result of Medicare ignoring the auction expert’s recommendations and strong communications from providers, beneficiaries and even Congress to fix the fundamentally flawed bidding program prior to implementation. This type of result was predicted by the auction experts due to the fundamentally flawed structure of the Medicare bidding program. This program must be stopped!