Apria: 'Billing can be done anywhere'
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed April 15, 2009
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Apria Healthcare continues to consolidate, announcing April 14 that it plans to eliminate 90 jobs at a billing office in Machesney Park, Ill.
Earlier this year, Apria announced plans to close a billing office in Hanover Township, Pa., eliminating 55 jobs.
In all, seven billing offices for certain medical equipment will be affected this year, Lisa Getson, Apria's executive vide president, told Business Rockford.
Billing will be consolidated to offices in Phoenix; Kansas City, Kan.; and Jackson, Tenn.
Apria is consolidating due to cuts in Medicare reimbursement.
“Oxygen therapy took a 27% reduction in reimbursement compared to 2008,” Getson told Business Rockford. “That's a severe reduction for all companies that provider respiratory care, and we had to reduce our nonpatient care costs while continuing to provide direct patient care services, such as in-home delivery, clinical visits and 24/7 on-call services through our branch network. Billing is something that can be done anywhere.”
April will still have a presence in Machesney Park, Business Rockford reported. It has 71 employees doing billing for its home infusion therapy division in one office there and 23 employees providing direct care to area patients from another office.
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