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CQRC asks CMS for concessions to protect access during coronavirus outbreak

CQRC asks CMS for concessions to protect access during coronavirus outbreak

WASHINGTON - The Council for Quality Respiratory Care has asked CMS to pay for home respiratory equipment, supplies and services for patient with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, the CQRC also asks the agency to reduce paperwork burdens, allowing instead, the certificate of medical necessity, test results confirming a diagnosis and the prescription to be sufficient documentation. Additionally, it asks CMS to: suspend adding non-invasive ventilators from Round 2021 of competitive bidding to protect access to the therapy; prioritize the provision of personal protective equipment for home respiratory therapy suppliers; and extend the current blended rate in rural non-CBAs for at least home respiratory therapy in 2021. “CQRC would welcome the change to discuss how we can help make sure that Medicare beneficiaries who need home respiratory therapies in relation to a diagnosis of COVID-19 have access,” said Dan Starck, CQRC chairman and Apria CEO. “We stand ready to help CMS, the department and the federal government in any way we can.”

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