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Tag: Interim Final Rule (IFR)


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In brief: West Virginia lawmakers go to bat for HME; Patientco, TwelveStone receive investments

July 27, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - A group of senators and representatives from West Virginia has sent a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma saying the agency's May 9 interim final rule “does not go far enough” to ensure continued access to DME for the elderly and disabled in rural areas. The group points out that, while the IFR reinstates 50/50 blended reimbursement rates, it only does so for rural and non-contiguous areas, not all non-competitive bidding areas. “We were hopeful that...

Interim Final Rule (IFR), Ostomy, Retail, Rural


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IFR comments pass 100 mark

July 3, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - A competitive bidding-related interim final rule had 136 comments on Monday, July 9, the deadline. Stakeholders have been pushing for comments on the IFR, which reinstates 50/50 blended reimbursement rates—but only from June 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, instead of retroactively from Jan. 1, 2017; and only in rural and non-contiguous areas instead of all non-bid areas. The deadline or submitting comments is July 9. Submit your comments here.

Comment, Competitive Bidding, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Rural


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Stakeholders push for comments on bid-related IFR

June 22, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

WATERLOO, Iowa - With only two weeks left until a July 9 deadline, a paltry 56 comments have been submitted in response to a competitive bidding-related interim final rule. “And we wonder why (nothing changes),” John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM, told attendees at last week's Heartland Conference. “CMS refers to comments all the time. Take the time when you get back to your office to do the comments.” The IFR, published in the May 11...

Competitive Bidding, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Legislative update


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Also Noted

CMS to allow use of IFR rates in Medicaid calculations

June 14, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - CMS has agreed that states can process claims using the higher fee schedule amounts for claims in rural areas from June 1-Dec. 16, 2018, according to a bulletin from AAHomecare. Previously, the agency had said that any fee schedule adjustments would not impact 21st Century Cures Act reconciliation as they would be using the Jan. 1, 2018 rates. The agency also agreed that states that are not simply basing their rates on Medicare rates can present their utilization for reconciliation on...

AAHomecare, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Medicaid


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Also Noted

VGM crafts comment template

May 17, 2018HME News Staff

WATERLOO, Iowa - VGM has created a template for suppliers to use when drafting their comments on the interim final rule. Providers are encouraged to hit on a few key points, including that future policy decisions must include providers in all non-bid areas that serve patients in “non-rural” areas; that the adjusted fee schedule is unsustainable; that the oxygen “double-dip” has pushed reimbursement rates below the single payment amount; and that CMS's complaint and access...

Interim Final Rule (IFR), VGM Group


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CMS rule falls far short of bid relief

May 11, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

WASHINGTON - The long-anticipated interim final rule landed with a thud last week, when it became apparent that it offered little in the way of bid relief, say industry stakeholders. “It's not the IFR we were expecting,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “They didn't even do half of what were anticipating and, more importantly, what folks on Capitol Hill were anticipating.” The IFR, published in the May 11 Federal...

Bid Relief, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Relief, Rural


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CMS provides limited bid relief

May 9, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - CMS will publish an interim final rule in the Federal Register on May 11 that resumes reimbursement rates for DME included in the competitive bidding program to the 50/50 blended rates from June 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, in rural areas. “This action will help Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas continue to access life-sustaining DME, like oxygen equipment,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. In 2016 and 2017, information from the bid program was used to adjust Medicare...

Bid Relief, Interim Final Rule (IFR)


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Status changes for bid-related IFR

May 9, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - The status of an interim final rule that would provide relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program was changed to “concluded” on May 8. Previously, the status of the IFR, which has been sitting at the Office of Management and Budget since August, was “pending.” An abstract for the IFR states that it would extend a phase-in period for a second round of reimbursement cuts for DME and enteral nutrition in non-bid areas from June 30, 2016, to Dec....

Bid Relief, Interim Final Rule (IFR), OMB


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Bid relief update: Stakeholders target ESRD rule, as pressure mounts

May 4, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders say an upcoming rule could be a potential vehicle for changes to Medicare's competitive bidding program. Last week, the Office of Management and Budget indicated that the proposed rule, CY 2019 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, is under review. “We talk to the Health and Human Services folks all the time and they have assured us they are working on all of our issues,” said Jay Witter, senior vice president of...

AAHomecare, Competitive Bidding, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Jay Witter


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Bid relief: Sen. Hatch calls for action

May 4, 2018HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who is chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, has written a letter to HHS and CMS urging them to provide relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program, the VGM Group reports. In the May 1 letter, Hatch urges HHS to submit a mandated report on the impact of the application of competitive bidding rates in non-bid areas, and to take appropriate action to ensure access to DME in those areas. Hatch also urged the agencies to address...

Advocacy, Bid Relief, HR 4229, Interim Final Rule (IFR), Orrin Hatch


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