Tag: National mail-order program

CORAL SPRINGS and BOCA RATON, Fla. - Arriva Medical is closing its facility in Coral Springs and laying off 142 employees, the Sun Sentinel reports.Additionally, American Medical Supplies is closing its store in Boca Raton and laying off 40 employees, the newspaper reports.The layoffs will go into effect Dec. 31, according to letters from company officials to the state obtained by the Sun Sentinel.Both Arriva Medical and American Medical Supplies provide testing equipment and supplies to Medicare...

CHICAGO - Dwindling choices and conflicting information about diabetes supplies available under the national mail-order program will have long-term ramifications for beneficiaries, says a new survey from the American Association of Diabetes Educators.“Diabetes testing systems and supplies are the cornerstone of patient self-management,” said Kurt Anderson, AADE director of federal and state advocacy. “It's just such a cost effective way to treat diabetes and, in particular, just...

CHICAGO - Medicare's national mail-order program for diabetes testing supplies has sharply reduced beneficiary access, says a new survey from the America Association of Diabetes Educators.The “secret shopper” survey found that:  • The number of brands available under the mail-order program has fallen 50% since the program started;• The number of models of diabetes testing systems available under the mail-order program is less than half the number available in 2009, before the...

WASHINGTON - Sens. Dan Coats, R-Ind., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced a bill that they believe would help ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries have access to their preferred brand of diabetes test strips.The senators introduced the bill, the Diabetes Supplies Act, on Nov. 16 in response to Medicare's national mail-order program for diabetes testing supplies. As a result of the program, they say, the most commonly purchased brands of test strips are no longer available to Medicare beneficiaries...

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Arriva Medical's contract for CMS's national mail-order program for diabetes supplies is in question.CMS has revoked Arriva's billing privileges, alleging the provider submitted 211 claims for deceased patients between April 15, 2011, and April 25, 2016, according to a statement from parent company Alere.“However, the CMS letter only identifies a sample of 47 such patients, upon which our review was based,” reads the statement. “The 211 claims allegedly at...

Well, it looks like I posted last week's blog not a moment too soon. CMS released its highly anticipated list (and list upon list upon list) of the Round 2 re-compete contract suppliers. I am sure you are all out there, busily poring over the list for you area of interest, both products and geography-wise. And I know poor Kim Brummett and others like her will be poring over all of them. So, in the interest of sanity, allow me to share initial thoughts on my area of interest: the diabetes category....

YARMOUTH, Maine - Will providers of diabetes testing supplies submit bids in the next phase of the national mail-order program? The verdict is mixed.“We would love to have a mail-order contract,” said Kim Lynn, HME operations manager for Carolina Apothecary in Reidsville, N.C. “We lost a lot of customers because of competitive bidding.”For providers, the big question is, how low will the reimbursement be? The single payment amount in the current mail-order program is $10.41...

WASHINGTON - How has the national mail-order program for diabetes supplies affected brand choice?CMS now has a before and after picture thanks to the Office of Inspector General (OIG).The OIG published this week the results of a study to determine the market shares of test strips for the three-month period prior to the start date of the program on July 1, 2013. It found:. Two types of strips accounted for about 34% of the Medicare mail-order market share;. Four types of strips accounted for 51%;...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has made available for sharing three videos through its Save My Medical Supplies campaign.The short videos, available at www.savemymedicalsupplies.org, help to educate Medicare beneficiaries, families and caregivers about how Medicare problems can impact them, according to a release.The first video is an overview of major issues related to Medicare reform. The second: an interview with Thomas Morris, a beneficiary with diabetes and an amputee, that highlights issues related...

FLETCHER, N.C. - All-States Medical Supply (ASM) in February laid off eight employees and company execs placed the blame squarely on audits.“We've got more than 15% of our cash flow held up in audits,” said Marcus Suess, CEO. “That's more than a 200% increase from what we've ever experienced.”The timing couldn't have been worse: The audits surged in November—about 800 requests for documentation in three weeks—several months after the July 1 implementation of the...