Tag: Access

AUBURN, Wash. – EZ-Access, a division of Homecare Products, has added a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Hopkinsville, Ky. It has also relocated its corporate headquarters to Auburn, Wash., and opened an office in Madison, Tenn. Situating all of the company’s manufacturing and distribution in Kentucky consolidates resources, increases coordination and creates a central hub for receiving raw materials and efficiently deploying finished goods across the United States, the...

WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders urge providers to comment on a proposal that would rescind certain Medicaid regulations regarding a state's obligation to assess and monitor beneficiary access when requesting approval to reduce or restructure payment rates. AAHomecare has submitted comments on CMS-2406-P2, “Medicaid Program; Methods for Assuring Access to Covered Medicaid Services-Rescission,” and NCART plans to. “This would be a major setback, dramatically minimizing...

WATERLOO, Iowa - People for Quality Care has launched a survey for Medicare beneficiaries and family caregivers to measure their experiences getting durable medical equipment and supplies.The goal of the survey: to gauge the impact of Medicare changes, including national competitive bidding, on access to products and services.“Ensuring we understand the direct impact the changes being made by Medicare are having on consumers and caregivers is critical in helping us communicate their issues...

BUFFALO, N.Y. - NCART has developed a survey for suppliers and manufacturers to share information on reduced access to complex rehab technology at the hands of Medicaid managed care organizations. NCART seeks information where a Medicaid MCO has either inappropriately denied coverage of an item or established an inadequate payment amount for the item. The survey is part of a larger effort by NCART to develop a network of legal advocates and agencies to bring focus to MCO coverage and payment problems...

NEW YORK - A new report published in the December Annals of the American Thoracic Society highlights the problems many patients with lung disease experience in getting and using supplemental oxygen.In “Optimizing Home Oxygen Therapy: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report,” 26 physicians, nurses, RTs, patients and patient advocacy groups, oxygen suppliers, and CMS and FDA officials detail the shortcomings of the current system of providing supplemental oxygen to 1.5 million...

NEW YORK - The amount of insulin required to treat Type 2 diabetes is expected to increase by more than 20% from 2018 to 2030, according to a new study published in The Lancet. Using data from the International Diabetes Federation, researchers developed a microsimulation of the Type 2 diabetes burden across 221 countries. The number of people worldwide with Type 2 diabetes is estimated to increase from 405.6 million in 2018 to 510.8 million in 2030. Insulin use is estimated to increase 616.1 million...

WATERLOO, Iowa - The VGM Group has added a study that shows the cost shift that is happening as a result of reduced access to DME for Medicare beneficiaries to its lobbying toolbox. The VGM-sponsored study by Leitten Consulting shows that: Fall-related injuries due to failure to provide needed mobility equipment results in a cost shift of between $4,705 and $5,029; COPD-related exacerbations due to failure to provide supplemental oxygen therapy results in a cost shift of about $14,350;...

WASHINGTON - More than 60% of case managers report an increase in the number of Medicare beneficiaries who have developed medical complications, received emergency care or were readmitted to a hospital due to issues related to obtaining proper and/or timely access to DME, according to a final report from Dobson DaVanzo & Associates. “(The competitive bidding program has) negatively affected beneficiaries' access to DME services and supplies, adversely impacted case managers' ability...

WASHINGTON - More than 60% of case managers report an increase in the number of Medicare beneficiaries who have developed medical complications, received emergency care or were readmitted to a hospital due to issues related to obtaining proper and/or timely access to DME, according to a final report from Dobson DaVanzo & Associates. “(The competitive bidding program has) negatively affected beneficiaries' access to DME services and supplies, adversely impacted case managers' ability...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare is developing a new survey with Dobson DaVanzo & Associates to determine the impact of competitive bidding on patient access to home medical equipment nationwide. The survey will seek input from HME providers, beneficiaries, caregivers and hospital discharge planners. Dobson DaVanzo, a leading healthcare research group, will create a report based on the survey results. Although industry stakeholders have met with regulatory agencies to discuss improvements to the bid...