Glenn Steinke: HME News 'made me famous'
By Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Updated Tue January 26, 2010
BISHOP, Calif. - Provider Glenn Steinke wants all of you to know that he made the accreditation deadline and that he thanks you for all of your phone calls.
We published a story about Steinke, the owner of Airway Medical, in our September 2009 issue. The story, "I don't know what the hell I am going to do," detailed his fear that he wouldn't be able to get accredited before Sept. 30, even though he submitted his application by Jan. 31.
"You made me famous--I got about 15 phone calls from providers all over the country," Steinke said. "They were calling and saying, 'What are you going to do? What should I do?' It was so sad, because we were all in dire straits."
CMS assured providers that, if they submitted their applications by Jan. 31, they would be accredited before the deadline.
Even though Steinke was told he wouldn't be surveyed until November, he ended up being surveyed on Sept. 14, paving the way for accreditation before the end of that month.
"I got in just under the wire," he said. "I had all of my stuff ready to forfeit my Medicare provider number voluntarily until I became accredited."
But Steinke wonders how some of the other providers he talked to fared.
"I've heard a lot of providers turned in or lost their numbers," he said.
Comments