HME industry must help shape policy, says new AAH chair

WASHINGTON – Ryan Bullock, the new chairman of AAHomecare’s board, says the HME industry has an opportunity to take a more proactive role in shaping policy in ways that are fair and effective for providers and the patients they serve.

For Bullock, that means working with regulators before policy decisions harden into rules that providers must simply absorb.

“I want to make sure that the HME voice is heard loudly and clearly by policymakers,” said Bullock, chief strategy officer at Aeroflow Health in Asheville, N.C.

AAHomecare’s membership recently approved Bullock as chair, part of a new leadership lineup that also includes David Siegel, CEO of Nationwide Medical, as vice chairman; and John Cassar, CEO of SuperCare Health, as secretary. Josh Marx, CEO of Medical Service Company, will remain on the Executive Committee as immediate past chair.

Bullock’s priorities include pushing for clearer, more targeted oversight that protects Medicare and Medicaid without undermining the quality of products and services HME suppliers can provide.

“Providers are in serious need of stability, and patients need assurance that the programs they rely on aren’t being dismantled,” he said.

Bullock says the industry supports efforts to remove bad actors, but he wants regulators to move away from what he described as “blunt, one-size-fits-all enforcement.” The industry must help policymakers better understand the scale and role of HME, he says, including its relatively small share of overall Medicare spending.

“HME represents just 1.5% of total Medicare spending,” he said. “That context matters enormously in regulatory conversations.”

The industry must sustain those conversations at both the federal and state levels, says Bullock. Aeroflow has seen the importance of that approach in its work advocating for maternal health coverage expansions, tax exemptions on medically necessary products and better access to home-based care across the country, he says.

“You have to be willing to make the same case over and over and never lose sight of the patient at the center of every conversation,” he said. “That’s the kind of advocacy AAHomecare was established for, and the energy I plan to bring to this role.”

Related reading:

• Aeroflow Health celebrates coverage for telehealth lactations services.
• Aeroflow Health supports efforts to extend Medicaid coverage for post-partum services in Wisconsin.