Tag: Brown & Fortunato

Q. What do I need to know about the updated requirements for Provider Relief Funds?  A.Suppliers across the country were pleasantly surprised with the release of updated reporting requirements and deadlines in connection with funds received from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF).  With the prior July 1 deadlines looming, suppliers had been increasingly concerned with the reporting burdens and the amount of time available to gather final data and complete the submissions and...

Q. What waivers related to the public health emergency do I need to keep track of?  A. On April 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extended the public health emergency (PHE) for another 90 days, meaning the PHE will last until at least July 19, 2021. This PHE is expected to continue through at least the end of 2021. This is important news to HME providers since numerous waivers and flexibilities will continue to remain in place at a federal level during the duration...

Q. Where are we with the Provider Relief Fund and what should I be doing?  A. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 contains key provisions that appear to be at least partially responsible for the continued delay in a comprehensive Provider Relief Fund reporting program. While the Department of Health and Human Services issued updated reporting requirements, the reporting portal remains open only for registration purposes....

AMARILLO, Texas - Brown & Fortunato has released a new white paper to help HME providers develop written guidance on protecting patients and employees under the challenging conditions of the current public health emergency. “Structuring COVID-19 Protocols for DME Suppliers” emphasizes the need to use reliable sources for structuring protocols and outlines major subject areas that should be covered. It joins other papers published by Brown & Fortunato, including “COVID-19 Personnel...

Historically, Medicare payments for health care have been based on the fee-for-service (FFS) model—that is, Medicare pays for the service regardless of the patient outcome. This model results in (i) providers not coordinating with each other and (ii) expenditure of money without evidence of tangible results. With 78 million baby boomers retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day, the FFS model is not sustainable. As such, Medicare is pushing providers away from the FFS model…and toward the collaborative...

LAS VEGAS - Now that Medicare and Medicaid are turning to managed care organizations (MCOs) more and more to cut costs, HME providers must be vigilant to make sure they get a fair deal, says Pam Colbert, an attorney with Brown & Fortunato. HME News recently spoke with Colbert, who is hosting two sessions at Medtrade Spring this year related to MCOs, about what providers need to know to play ball in this market and how to get paid.HME News: What are we dealing with here: How many Medicare and Medicaid...

WASHINGTON - As HME industry stakeholders work with CMS officials to shape future rounds of competitive bidding, they're focusing, first, on helping the agency re-arrange the program's product categories.Under lead-item pricing—where payment levels for the item with the highest expenditures in a product category determine the payment levels for all other items in the category—stakeholders say it doesn't make sense, for example, to bundle oxygen concentrators and CPAP devices in a broad...

ATLANTA - Medtrade has added a track called “The New Competitive Bidding” to its educational lineup, in response to a recent proposed rule that would allow any Medicare-enrolled provider to supply DME to beneficiaries starting Jan. 1, 2019. “If you are considering a dive back into Medicare when the gap period starts, Medtrade is the ideal place to learn literally everything about your options,” said Kevin Gaffney, group show director. The track will address: a historical view...

AMARILLO, Texas - Brown & Fortunato has added Markus Cicka and Beth Anne Jackson as its two newest shareholders, bringing its total number of health law attorneys to 17, according to an announcement. Cicka has 25 years of healthcare law under his belt, including as partner at two national law firms and as an in-house compliance officer and director for a state Medicaid program integrity unit. He is admitted to practice in Texas, Missouri and Illinois. Jackson has more than 21 years of experience...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has retained Brown & Fortunato to provide a range of legal and advisory services. Long-time HME industry advocate Cara Bachenheimer, who is set to open a Washington, D.C., lobbying office for the Amarillo, Texas-based law firm in June, will take the lead role representing the association's regulatory and legislative priorities. “I have had a front-row view of Cara's work on HME public policy issues over the years, and I have always come away impressed by her depth of...