Tag: CMNs

YARMOUTH, Maine - While respiratory providers say they might support doing away with CMNs for oxygen, some aren't sure about the potential for an electronic clinical template to replace them.“I think asking the physician to fill out anything is not helpful,” said Robin Powers, billing supervisor for Friendship Home Medical Equipment in Wise, Va. “Anything they just have to sign they are OK with.”During a recent Open Door Forum, CMS sought input on whether providers would like...

BALTIMORE - CMNs/DIFs are a burden HME stakeholders would like to see eliminated, they told CMS officials during an Open Door Forum last week.“There was a time and place for CMNs,” said Ronda Buhrmester, a reimbursement specialist for The VGM Group, during the forum. “Providers already have to gather that info in the progress notes and it is redundant. It's time to eliminate CMNs.”Currently, CMNs are required for oxygen, pneumatic compression devices, osteogenesis stimulators,...

Like most HME providers, Frank Margulis thought he understood the rules. Then he was charged with obstructing a Medicare audit. In 2005, he was sentenced to five months in a federal prison camp and five months of house arrest. Now a free man, Margulis will share his story during his Medtrade session, "Avoiding Legal Landmines: Lessons Learned the Hard Way." HME News: What was the basis of the lawsuit? Frank Margulis: When we gathered CMNs for a routine audit, we noticed that only the first line...