Tag: Relief

WASHINGTON - Tricare East contractor Human Military loaded new reimbursement rates authorized by the CARES Act into their system on June 3, according to AAHomecare. Claims from that day forward should reflect the new rates. Humana Military is now working on adjustments retroactive to the start date for the act. AAHomecare has reached out to Tricare West contractor HealthNet for an update on its efforts to implement relief provisions in the CARES Act. Tricare has also confirmed that it's waiving cost...

WASHINGTON - The lack of substantial changes in the competitive bidding-related final rule likely comes down to cost, say HME industry stakeholders.“The challenge has all along been the cost,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “I think the political appointees at the agency wanted to do more but were restricted by cost. Cost is everything.”The final rule, released Nov. 1, did not include two areas of additional relief requested by the industry: an extension of...

WASHINGTON - CMS appears to have done little to change its competitive bidding-related rule from the time it was proposed in July until it was finalized on Nov. 1.Despite myriad concerns raised by HME industry stakeholders, the agency did not extend 50/50 blended reimbursement rates to all non-bid areas; and it did not apply CPI adjustments to rates in bid areas retroactively from 2008-13.“While I believe that CMS is making a smart decision in pausing the bidding program to work on additional...

NICEVILLE, Fla. - J & B Medical has been pitching in to help those in the Florida Panhandle who have been affected by Hurricane Michael, the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. Kim Wonsick, vice president and compliance officer, told HME News this week that the company was bringing oxygen concentrators, wheelchairs, walkers and other general items to area hospitals per their requests. J & B has given out all of its hospital beds; it has ordered more, but they are already...

WASHINGTON - Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., has released a congressional sign-on letter asking lawmakers to include H.R. 4229 in upcoming legislation to keep the government funded.“Immediate action on this letter will enhance our opportunity for signatories, improve our prospects to include HME provisions in the coming legislation due March 23, and show strong support of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' efforts on our behalf,” AAHomecare stated in bulletin to members late on Friday....

WASHINGTON - New details have pushed to the forefront a competitive bidding-related interim final rule that's been held up at the Office of Management and Budget since August.“We continue to ask members who have relationships with the OMB to put calls in,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare.The industry last week gleaned new information about the under-wraps IFR when the OMB included it in its semi-annual Unified Agenda. The OMB states: the IFR “amends the regulation...

WASHINGTON - Tom Price's resignation from the Department of Health and Human Services shouldn't have an impact on a pending interim final rule, industry stakeholders say. What's lesser known: Whether it will have an impact on a final fix for the competitive bidding program.The IFR, which promises to provide relief from bid-related pricing in non-bid areas, is waiting to be cleared by the Office of Management and Budget—something that could happen any day now, stakeholders say.“All the...

WASHINGTON - The website of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and the Office of Management and Budget now shows an interim final rule pending review titled “Durable Medical Equipment Fee Schedule, Adjustments to Resume the Transitional 50/50 Blended Rates to Provider Relief in Non-Competitive Bidding Areas.”It sounds promising, industry stakeholders agree, but because the IFR hasn't been published yet, they have more questions than answers and, therefore, have refrained...

There are a number of reasons why I want this election cycle to end, some of which will remain nameless. I'm sure I'm not alone. After it was clear nothing would get done before the elections, industry stakeholders targeted the lame-duck session starting in mid-November as a small window to get bid relief legislation passed before the end of the year. We reported some good news in late September, that stakeholders have the word of House Speaker Paul Ryan that he will address bid relief legislation...

WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a bill that would delay a second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts, according to the Council for Quality Respiratory Care.Medicare plans to implement a second round of cuts in non-bid areas on July 1, following a first round of cuts that went into effect in those areas on Jan. 1. Together, they will reduce reimbursement, on average, 50%.“We applaud the Senate for recognizing the urgency in passing this legislation before July 1, which will help to ensure...