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CMS releases adjusted reimbursement rates for rural areas

CMS releases adjusted reimbursement rates for rural areas

WASHINGTON - CMS last week published the adjusted reimbursement rates that will go into effect for seven months in rural areas.

The adjustments, called for in a recently released interim final rule, means reimbursement for oxygen concentrators, for example, will go from $77.16 to $121.46 per month from June 1 through Dec. 31 in rural areas.

Per the IFR, CMS is reverting to 50/50 blended reimbursement rates in rural areas, but not in all non-bid areas, as stakeholders had hoped.

Other examples include from $43.95 to $73.87 per month for CPAP devices; $703.16 to $1,184.12 for negative pressure wound therapy pumps; $36.73 to $66.62 for lightweight manual wheelchairs; and $205.41 to $438.56 for low-air loss mattresses.

VGM called the adjustments a step in the right direction, but pointed out they fall short of broader reform.

“VGM will continue to fight for CMS to implement sustainable rate methodologies and apply them to all non-bid areas, as well as high-level competitive bidding reforms to ensure that process are truly reflective of the market,” the company stated in a bulletin.

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