If I had to put a label on the mood here at the AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference, I'd use hopeful. Attendees are hopeful, dare I say confident even, that Round 2 will be delayed long enough to get the market-pricing program (MPP) implemented.
When I left my house at 4:30 this morning it was rainy and about 35 degrees. I breezed through check in and security--I was literally the only one in the line. And when I use the overused "literally" you know I mean it.
Each year around this time, I find myself in the position of appealing to HME providers for help on two initiatives that are very important to the future of the HME industry.
Don’t let the title of this blog fool you. Of course, there are still providers out there.
But since the Round 2 rates and contract winners were announced, I’ve noticed a lot of the ladies and gentlemen I’ve gotten used to calling are getting out of the game.
Industry stakeholders like to talk about how home medical equipment consumes such a small piece of the Medicare budget. I think the going rate these days is less than 2%.
In our local newspaper today is a letter to the editor that made me laugh. The writer called out Congress on its hypocrisy when the sequester began to impact air travel.
Executive vice president at Healthcare Equipment & Supply Co.
Editor’s note: This is an email that provider Patrick Naeger sent to the office of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo, following the congressional hearing to review provider business practices and Medicare audits.
