Bills get bump from fly-in

WASHINGTON - A legislative fly-in on Sept. 10 spearheaded by The MED Group and supported by AAHomecare resulted in 100 meetings with lawmakers.

The topics of discussion at the meetings: bills to reform the competitive bidding and audit programs, H.R. 4920 and H.R. 5083, respectively.

“These bills are gaining momentum and our presence on the Hill should make a difference,” said Jeff Woodham, senior vice president and general manager of The MED Group, in a press release.

Currently, the bid bill has 40 co-sponsors; the audit bill, 24. At least 9 and 10 co-sponsors, respectively, were added to the bills just this week.

AAHomecare officials helped to manage the appointment process, provided briefing materials and joined in on the meetings.

“Working together on our HME legislative priorities—through back-home meetings, letters to Capitol Hill, and face-to-face meetings in D.C.—will ultimately be what makes the difference in getting these bills passed and enacted into law,” said Tom Ryan, CEO of AAHomecare, in the release.

Provider Jackie Semrad, who attended the event, said even though stakeholders have been touting bidding and audit reform for some time now, the industry's message needs constant reinforcement.

“They understand that the bidding program is flawed and that this bill will address one of the biggest issues—the fact that current bids are not binding,” said Semrad, the compliance officer for Reliable Medical Supply, in the release. “Most were not aware of this part of the bid program until we educated them. This is one reason why we need to continue to talk to our members of Congress.”