Sam Clay does his part to fight NCB

PETERSBURG, Va. - When the industry called for help with lobbying for the Hobson-Tanner competitive bidding bill (See story next page), Sam Clay was quick to pick up the industry's banner. In August, the president of Clay Home Medical invited his congressman, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., to tour his facility, learn more about small independent HMEs and ask for his support on H.R. 3559. "There is a lot at stake here," said Clay. "It behooves us to educate our beneficiaries and our congressman so they have a better understanding of what we do." To illustrate the amount of a paperwork involved in billing Medicare, Clay spread out all the documents required for one oxygen patient. The 35 pieces of paper covered a 12-foot conference table, he said. Clay also invited four current oxygen patients to the site visit to talk about the services they receive from Clay Home Medical. "One of those patients had been a patient of another company and had been basically left unattended during Hurricane Isabel," said Clay. "We helped her when she was in trouble, so she switched to us. Her story really helped show the differences between companies in how services get done." During Congress' August recess, AAHomecare and other industry leaders encouraged providers to contact their representatives and schedule site visits. Clay said the biggest challenge in that is getting on the schedule. "It's all about having a relationship with the aides in the local offices," he said. "Trying to be a resource for them and visit them regularly so they know who you are. They should be expecting you to come see them when something comes up about medical equipment. "