Tag: Home infusion services

WASHINGTON - CMS's recent proposed rule on payments for home infusion services “rearranges dollars,” but fails to fix fundamental structural issues with the benefit, says the National Home Infusion Association.Stakeholders had hoped the proposed rule, released in July, might contain changes to CMS's plan to limit reimbursement for professional services to only those days a “skilled professional”—which it defines as a nurse—is in the home.“We were hoping they...

IRVING, Texas - Vizient, a member-driven health care performance improvement company and its subsidiary Provista, a supply chain partner for non-acute healthcare delivery organizations, have urged CMS to reconsider its “very narrow interpretation of the new Medicare home infusion benefit. The benefit was finalized in the recently released Home Health Prospective Payment System final rule for 2019. The rule will limit reimbursement for home infusion services to only the day on which the services...

WASHINGTON - CMS's proposal to establish a new home infusion therapy benefit has taken a wrong turn right out of the gate, say industry stakeholders.Specifically, the agency wants to require a nurse to be present on the days when an infusion drug is administered in the home to receive payment. However, it is not uncommon for infusion drugs to be administered without a nurse, say stakeholders.“(In the private sector), if that beneficiary is on your service you get paid, even on days when the...

WASHINGTON - Passage of a temporary payment for infusion services validates the role those services play in caring for patients and reducing costs, stakeholders say.The payment was part of a government spending bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate in the early hours of Feb. 9. “We're excited—not only did this fix the gap, but it further cements the recognition of home infusion therapy within the Medicare program and its attendant clinical services,” said...

WASHINGTON - Home infusion and O&P providers are the big winners with the passage of a government spending bill early this morning.The bill, which passed the House 240 to 186 and the Senate 71 to 28, contained several DME-related provisions, in particular, one that would create a temporary transition payment for home infusion to address a payment gap created by a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act.“The legislation will allow Medicare beneficiaries, specifically those with heart failure...

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. - Option Care kicked off the new year with a new CEO, John Rademacher, who had previously served as interim CEO and COO. Rademacher, whose resume includes executive level roles at Cardinal Health and Cigna, says the home infusion sector is at an “interesting intersection between high quality and appropriate costs.”“Payers, health systems and pharmaceutical manufacturers are realizing that home infusion offers a real important service to patients,” he said.Rademacher...

WASHINGTON - A bill that would create a temporary payment for home infusion services dropped in the Senate this afternoon.Introduced by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Access Act of 2017 (S. 1738) would address a payment gap created by a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act. That act requires Medicare to pay for services associated with providing Part B home infusion drugs, but not until 2021.The Senate bill is a companion to H.R. 3171, introduced...

A. If you're like many home infusion providers, you focus most of your attention on improving the health of your patients. But what about the financial health of your business? While you've been staying on top of clinical best practices and regulatory issues, you haven't had time to evaluate your business processes and check out some of the latest technology advancements that can actually help you significantly improve efficiencies.As more physician groups, health systems and payers recognize the...

CLINTON, N.Y. - At a time when other HME companies are downsizing operations or shuttering entirely, Upstate Homecare is looking to grow, thanks to a renewed focus on specialty infusion care in the upstate New York area.In focusing on specialty infusion, Upstate is shifting away from retail pharmacy, a niche market previously developed through acquisition, said CEO Gregory LoPresti. Specialty infusion offers a home care model that complements Upstate's existing respiratory offerings, and it also...

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. ­- Option Care, a national home infusion provider, recently earned accreditation from URAC Specialty Pharmacy for its corporate offices and its three specialty pharmacy centers of excellence.As if the recognition wasn't impressive enough, the Illinois-based company aced the accreditation process, receiving a perfect score from URAC, an independent, non-profit organization that uses evidence-based measures and standards for accreditation. The score applies to all specialty areas,...