Tag: Complex Rehab Accessories
Accessories: Updated payments take effect, will be applied retroactively
January 16, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Updated payment rates for complex manual wheelchair accessories went into effect Jan. 1, but they may not be updated until July 1 to allow changes to be made to the claims processing system, according to a bulletin from CMS. As such, suppliers should continue to submit claims for these items with dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2020, but payment rates will continue to be based on the adjusted fee schedule amounts in the interim. After changes to the system are implemented, payment...
In brief: Verma one step closer to CMS, bills introduced to protect accessories
March 3, 2017HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Seema Verma is headed to the full Senate for confirmation as CMS Administrator.The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday voted 13-12 to advance Verma's nomination.“We need experienced and responsible leadership at the helm of our federal agencies and CMS is no exception,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the committee. “The challenges plaguing both Medicare and Medicaid require a strong partnership between the administration and Congress to improve these programs...
CMS offers guidance on billing for complex rehab accessories
December 27, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has updated the DME Center page of its website with information on how it plans to implement certain provisions in the recently passed 21st Century Cures Act.For a provision that delays CMS's plans to apply bid-derived pricing to accessories for complex power wheelchairs for another six months, until July 1, 2017, the agency states:“To implement the extension, the 2016 KU fee schedule amounts have been updated by the 2017 0.7% covered item update and will be added to the 2017...
Cures Act headed to president
December 7, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The 21st Century Cures Act, which includes important provisions related to Medicare's competitive bidding program, has been passed by the Senate and is now headed to the president's desk for his signature.The Senate passed the bill Dec. 7 by an overwhelming majority, 94-5. The House of Representatives also passed the bill Nov. 30 by an overwhelming majority, 392-26.President Barack Obama has already declared his support for the bill, mostly recently in his weekly address on Dec. 3.The...
Industry buys time for rural providers, complex rehab accessories
November 28, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The HME industry now has a vehicle in Congress for rolling back a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts that went into effect in non-competitive bidding areas on July 1, AAHomecare reports.A draft of the 21st Century CURES bill that will be considered by lawmakers this week has language that would roll back the cuts for six months. It paves the way for providers in non-bid areas to recoup reductions for items with dates of service from July 1 to the end of 2016, says Tom Ryan,...
In brief: Complex rehab advocates speak up, study casts doubt on impact of CPAP therapy on cardiovascular events
September 2, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Two consumer organizations have sent letters to lawmakers urging them to pass bills that would permanently protect complex rehab accessories from competitive bid pricing.The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations, and the Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid Coalition (ITEM) sent letters to 10 senators and representatives, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority...
Complex rehab bill signed into law
December 29, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - President Obama signed the Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act into law yesterday, delaying the application of competitive bid pricing to accessories used on Group 3 complex power wheelchairs for one year. “Our recommendation is to hold off on billing any claims for Group 3 Power Wheelchair accessories with dates of service on or after January 1, 2016 until this CMS guidance is received,” wrote Don Clayback, executive director of NCART, in an email to members. Unfortunately,...
Stakeholders throw Hail Mary to protect accessories
December 18, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Complex rehab stakeholders have successfully staved off CMS's plan to apply competitive bid pricing to accessories for complex rehab wheelchairs for at least one year.On Dec. 17, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Robert Casey, D-Pa., Richard Burr, R-N.C., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced the Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act, which included a provision to delay the change, which was slated to go into...
Ways and Means Committee seeks clarifications on accessories plan
November 20, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Key members of the House Ways & Means Committee this week sent a letter to CMS, asking the agency to clarify its plans to apply competitive bid pricing to complex rehab wheelchair accessories. In the letter, Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., urged CMS to “take the steps necessary to code the CRT-only items separately so that, as dictated by statute, these accessories are exempted from the competitive bidding pricing.” Meanwhile,...
In brief: Settlement dampens Liberator Medical's earnings, senators ask CMS to backpedal on accessories
August 14, 2015HME News Staff
STUART, Fla. - Liberator Medical Holdings has reported net revenues of $20.4 million for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2015, a 9.7% increase compared to the same period last year.It reported a net income of $1.7 million vs. $2 million, a 15.8% decrease.The increase in revenues was due primarily to Liberator Medical's continued emphasis on its direct response advertising campaign to acquire new customers.The decrease in income was due to a one-time expense of $600,000 associated with an...