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Home infusion bill reintroduced

Home infusion bill reintroduced

WASHINGTON--The home infusion industry got a jump on the new Congress when two key pieces of legislation were reintroduced in mid-January.

“Having this happen so early in the year adds to our momentum,” said Russell Bodoff, president of the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA). “Our sponsors believe strongly in the legislation and wanted to move quickly.”

Introduced by Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Reps. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Timothy Murphy, R-Pa., the Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 would require Medicare to pay for services, supplies and equipment related to home infusion therapy under Part B. Currently, Medicare pays for home infusion drugs under Part D, along with a small dispensing fee for services and supplies.

Healthcare reform is a hot topic these days and the two bills benefited from that, said Bodoff.

“Everybody's looking at healthcare expenses,” he said. “There aren't many places where you can improve the quality of care and lower costs at the same time. That's what this legislation does.”

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