Tag: Congress

WASHINGTON - The National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) stands behind lawmakers in the House of Representatives who want to delay implementation of Round 2 of competitive bidding, according to a press release. The association applauded the leadership of Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, who crafted a “Dear Colleague” letter to garner support for the delay, saying a myriad of concerns need to be addressed. “NASL continues to voice serious...

WASHINGTON - Members of two House committees—Energy and Commerce; and Ways and Means—will meet today at 4 p.m. with representatives from CMS to discuss the competitive bidding program, according to a bulletin from the VGM Group. Members of the Senate met with representatives June 11 to discuss the program.

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare and People for Quality Care (PFQC) are partnering to offer a hotline number for Medicare beneficiaries to log complaints about their access to HME, according to a press release. The number, which will go live June 18, will be staffed 24/7 by a PFQC live operator, who, with the caller's permission, will forward grievances about competitive bidding to a Medicare ombudsman. Those complaints will then be added to a list, which will be presented to members of Congress. “Medicare...

WASHINGTON - Two separate pairs of congressmen have penned letters aiming to push back the July 1 implementation of Round 2 of competitive bidding, according to reports from The VGM Group and FAHCS. In their "Dear Colleague" letter, Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, urge their fellow lawmakers to join them in requesting that CMS delay the start date through the end of 2013 to “allow for adequate investigation and correction of the significant problems.” Another letter...

WASHINGTON - When the bill to replace competitive bidding with a market-pricing program (MPP) is introduced, it will have lead sponsors on both sides of the aisle, industry stakeholders say.When a similar bill was introduced in September of 2012 during the previous session of Congress, its lone lead sponsor was Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. The new bill, now being finalized, will be spearheaded by Price and a Democratic lawmaker, stakeholders say.“The good news from the industry's perspective...

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of New York lawmakers has asked CMS to delay the expansion of competitive bidding. A letter signed by 19 New York members of Congress expresses “concern” with Round 2 of the program, set to kick off July 1, particularly with respect to the recently announced single payment amounts. CMS has designed a program, the letter states, “that does not hold bidders accountable for their bids, does not ensure that bidders are qualified to provide the products...

WALSENBURG, Colo. - NRRTS this week urged complex rehab stakeholders to call their members of Congress on April 10 and ask them to support a separate benefit category for complex rehab, according to a press release. The call-in runs concurrently with the National CRT Leadership and Advocacy Conference on April 9-11, and is designed for providers, manufacturers, clinicians and patients who cannot attend the event. Stakeholders have also launched a petition to urge members of Congress to support...

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan letter to CMS led by Tom Price, R-Ga., and co-signed by 100 U.S. representatives, is calling into question the competitive bidding program, according to an AMEPA newsletter. Largely in response to editorials published in the Washington Post and USA Today, which both supported competitive bidding, the letter addresses severe cuts in Round 2 of the program, potential negative consequences for patient access, and the lack of transparency on the part of CMS. In the letter, lawmakers...

WASHINGTON - A pair of lawmakers have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the impact of a 72% cut, on average, to reimbursement set to go into effect July 1 as part of a national mail order program for diabetes supplies. In a letter, Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., co-chairs of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, stated they are “concerned about what it will mean for beneficiaries' access to diabetes testing supplies (DTS) and their ability to maintain...

It's bitterly cold here today in our little corner of New England, although today's weather is an improvement over yesterday when temps could most optimistically be described as bone-chilling. As I scurried from my car, I thought of all the seniors who were probably staying inside, safe from icy walkways and blowing winds. Many of them, the ones providers are most familiar with, are homebound for health reasons as well. They have limited mobility or may be on oxygen and find it too cumbersome to...