In brief: CMS updates, PAOC meets

BALTIMORE - CMS hosted its third competitive bidding program call on Thursday to update providers and referral sources on the program and to answer questions. Joel Kaiser, CMS's deputy director of DMEPOS policy, highlighted several items. Grandfathering: Suppliers should only be sending notices about grandfathering to beneficiaries residing in competitive bidding areas. Non-contract providers supplying oxygen and rental DME must notify their beneficiaries as to whether or not they are going to grandfather or not for those items. Zip codes: Zip code files on the CBIC Web site, www.dmecompetitivebid.com, will be updated periodically to include any zip code changes. "By that, I don't mean that we are expanding or reducing the CBA," said Kaiser. "For example, one zip code could be divided into two. The area is still the same." The update also includes information on upgrading and down-coding items, and policy on traveling beneficiaries. Additionally, CMS has published the second phase of Chapter 36 of the Claims Processing Manual for Competitive Bidding. PAOC meets WASHINGTON - The Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) is scheduled to meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today to discuss Round 1 of national competitive bidding. The agenda: "progress on implementing the first round of the competitive bidding program." CMS hopes the feedback it receives will help it move forward with the next round of the program, the agency stated in a release. ResMed, LifeScan partnership targets sleep disorders, diabetes POWAY, Calif., and MILPITAS, Calif. - ResMed and LifeScan last week announced an exclusive co-marketing agreement targeted at people with sleep-disordered breathing and Type 2 diabetes. The partnership comes on the heels of a recently released consensus statement from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that links obstructive sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes. "Research shows that it is likely in people with Type 2 diabetes that more than 50% suffer from some form of sleep disorder, including sleep apnea," stated Dr. Paul Zimmet, co-chair of IDF. The companies will focus on educational and cross-promotional efforts. NASDAQ delists Rotech ORLANDO, Fla. - The NASDAQ delisted Rotech Healthcare from its stock exchange on Thursday. Rotech is now listed on the OTC Bulletin Board, a regulated quotation service that displays real-time quotes, last sales prices and volume information in over-the-counter securities. The NASDAQ sent Rotech a letter on April 17, 2008, stating the company had failed to comply with rules that require a minimum of $2.5 million in stockholders' equity or $35 million market value listed securities or $500,000 of net income from continuing operations for the most recently completed fiscal year or two of the three most recently completed fiscal years.