Tag: Any Willing Provider

EAST SANDWICH, Mass. - Since CMS let competitive bidding contracts expire on Dec. 31, 2018, Daina Juhansoo was hopeful that providers, previously locked out of the program, would be able to do Medicare business again. HME News recently spoke with Juhansoo, director of inpatient rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, about how the competitive bidding program has impacted access and whether it's improved in the new year.HME News: What issues were you facing before the contracts...

YARMOUTH, Maine - Medicare's any willing provider provision, set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2019, could mean some small strategic shifts for complex rehab providers.A number of those providers say they will seek new business under the provision, but only on a limited basis.“We do plan to accept Medicare Group 2 PMD orders after Jan. 1, but (only) in clinics where we already get referrals,” said Doug Westerdahl, president and CEO of Monroe Wheelchair in Rochester, N.Y. “We have no...

YARMOUTH, Maine - HME providers aren't necessarily holding off on equipment purchases in the months leading up to Medicare's any willing provider provision going into effect, according to a recent HME Newspoll.A slight majority of poll respondents (58%) say they're still buying, despite an uncertain Medicare landscape starting Jan. 1, when CMS plans to let its competitive bidding contracts expire and let all enrolled providers supply DMEPOS.“We don't base our decisions on the whims of the federal...

To help determine the focus of a recent webcast with Andrea Stark, we surveyed HME providers on an upcoming two-year gap period in Medicare's competitive bidding program.Before sharing the results of the survey, which surprised me, let's talk about who took the survey. The majority of the 89 respondents, about 69%, said they were non-contracted providers. The remaining, about 32%, said they were contracted providers.We then asked them which of the following scenarios was of most interest to them: Servicing...

ATLANTA - HME providers need to make a “tough call” on how they plan to handle an upcoming gap period in the competitive bidding program, healthcare attorney Jeff Baird told Medtrade attendees on Monday afternoon.“This is kind of a new area,” said Baird, the chairman of the Healthcare Group at Brown & Fortunato in Amarillo, Texas. “What do we do during the gap period? The short answer is, I don't know. I have specific ideas and suggestions, and have knowledge, but this...

YARMOUTH, Maine - The majority of non-contract suppliers who responded to a recent HME Newspoll (60%) say they won't try to pick up Medicare business starting Jan. 1, 2019.In a recent proposed rule, CMS outlined its plans to implement an “any willing provider” provision when the current competitive bidding contracts expire, allowing any Medicare-enrolled provider to serve beneficiaries while it overhauls the program.“I will choose to not service Medicare patients because Medicare's...

YARMOUTH, Maine - Reaction among providers to CMS's any willing provider provision run the gamut—with some feeling disbelief, some contemplating new opportunities, and some discounting the idea outright.In a proposed rule released July 18, CMS stated that when the current bid contracts expire Dec. 31, 2018, any Medicare-enrolled provider will be able to supply DMEPOS items to beneficiaries until a new round of bidding is implemented—a process that could take 18 to 24 months. The catch:...