WASHINGTON—If unchecked, the new competitive bidding plan created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could devastate home medical equipment (HME) providers and hurt patients, the head of the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) told a congressional committee.
ATLANTA (October 27, 2022)—The home medical equipment (HME) industry faces a wide range of questions as 2022 winds down, experts said at the latest Medtrade East expo and conference this week—including whether providers will get any relief from rising prices, what the November election will bring and which COVID-19-related waivers will continue and for how long.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 25, 2021)—As previously reported, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a new DMEPOS fee schedule for oxygen that reflects a long-sought fix for outdated budget neutrality provisions that was finally secured in December 2020 COVID-19 relief legislation. The updated rates, which go into effect on Apr.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 8, 2020)—On Dec. 21, 2020, both the House and Senate passed a COVID-19 relief bill that included provisions addressing a Medicare payment disparity for oxygen products in rural areas.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 15, 2020)—A recent survey of more than 500 home medical equipment suppliers shows that the COVID-19 pandemic is seriously impacting suppliers’ access to products on account of supply chain disruptions and rising prices from manufacturers and distributors.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 11, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the American Association for Home Care (AAHomecare) have separately asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to act quickly on items that will help homecare providers handle the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2019)—Provisions permanently excluding manual complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs from the competitive bidding program have been included in FY 2020 appropriations legislation. The legislation also exempts CRT manual accessories from bidding-derived pricing for an 18-month period, starting Jan. 1, 2020.
ATLANTA (October 22, 2019)—AAHomecare’s Washington Update on Day Two of Medtrade started with a moving tribute, a robust account of AAHomecare’s activities, and four women vying for VGM’s Woman of the Year Award.
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.
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 17, 2019)—A group of industry trade organizations is commending the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for releasing detailed guidance describing how bidders’ estimated capacity will drive the final single payment amounts (SPAs) and for announcing a new bidding window for Medicare’s Round 2021 of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program (CBP).
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.
