Tag: Bundling

WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders are seeking answers to a laundry list of questions regarding CMS's “incredibly vague” plan to bundle payments for standard power wheelchairs and CPAP.“We've posed several questions already and will submit about a dozen more,” said Kim Brummett, senior director of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare. “CMS has indicated they are compiling the questions and will respond to the industry. CMS knows the bundling thing is incredibly vague.”Among...

WASHINGTON - HME stakeholders are deeply concerned about CMS's plan to bundle payments for power wheelchairs and the impact that will have on patients and providers' bottom lines.In a final rule issued Oct. 31, CMS stated that it would implement a demo project in 12 competitive bid areas, in which providers would submit a single bid for furnishing standard power wheelchairs, related accessories and services needed on a monthly basis.Bundling is not an unreasonable concept, but CMS' application of...

WASHINGTON - CMS plans to move forward with its plans to implement competitive bid pricing nationwide, despite widespread opposition from the HME industry.“This is a big deal,” said Kim Brummett, senior director of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare.The agency issued its final rule Oct. 31. The proposed rule was published in July.The biggest concern: the application of bid rates in non-competitive bidding areas (CBAs), beginning Jan. 1, 2016 and phased-in over a six-month time period....

WASHINGTON - CMS should scrap its plans to expand competitive bidding nationwide and to implement bundled payments, AAHomecare stated in comments submitted to the agency on Sept. 2.CMS is proposing applying competitive bidding prices in non-bid areas by using regional prices limited by a national ceiling (110% of the average of regional prices) and a floor (90% of the average of regional prices).“The top line recommendation to CMS reiterated AAHomecare's position that single payment amounts...

It's definitely the dog days of summer outside of HME News world headquarters in Yarmouth, Maine. As I sit here writing this blog, waiting for our production department to finalize the HME Newswire that will go out at 6 a.m. EST on Monday, it's a beautiful 74 degrees outside. It's sunny with scattered clouds. It's dry. In other words, it's a great day to be playing hooky from work and playing outside. But apparently there's no rest for the weary when you're covering the fast-paced HME industry. Yes,...

I was as surprised as the next person to see the advance notice of proposed rule making from CMS detailing its plans to not only spread bid pricing to non-bid areas (I guess we knew that one was coming), but also possibly change the game entirely by bundling payments for certain HME like enteral nutrition and CPAP devices (See story page 1).That's “bigger than competitive bidding itself,” one provider told me.CMS says about the proposed move:“We believe it may be appropriate to...