Tag: competitive bidding

PHOENIX – When Congress breaks for recess next month, the industry needs to prime the pump for the fall, said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM, at Medtrade West.  “It’s time for the August of Action,” he said during a legislative update at that the show. “They’ll have the infrastructure package behind them, so when they come back, they will be dealing with issues related to Medicare and health care, so reach out to them while...

WASHINGTON – Industry stakeholders say Congress is “definitely getting back to work,” after a long spring, during which there was little movement on HME issues.  Stakeholders have been meeting with industry champion Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., to discuss legislative language for competitive bidding relief, line up a co-sponsor and identify possible vehicles for the fall, they said.  “We’ve had Hill visits, face-to-face meetings with members...

WASHINGTON – CMS received 45,815 eligible bids for Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program, according to additional information it released today.  The total number of eligible bids did not include the 3,313 bids for non-invasive ventilators, which CMS dropped from the bidding program in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  Total bidders who submitted at least one bid that was eligible to evaluate (i.e., at least one bid that was complete/certified...

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. – Össur has updated its proprietary Empower program to help physician practices and DMEPOS providers comply with new competitive bidding requirements for knee and back braces that went into effect Jan. 1.  Empower now has built-in prompts for new reimbursement coding and document capture requirements, and automatic mapping to designated contract providers based on a patient’s address.  “CMS’s new competitive bidding practice mandates...

In the past few months:  A global pandemic has severely stressed the supply of oxygen concentrators, revealing cracks in an HME industry that has been slowly chipped away at by Medicare’s competitive bidding program for 10 years.  CMS has decided not to move forward with the majority of Round 2021 of that program, because the agency didn’t “achieve expected savings,” and therefore – wait for it – the current reduced rates continue to apply.  The...

WASHINGTON – Industry stakeholders are still digging through the Round 2021 data that CMS furnished late on Jan. 15 and trying to figure out what’s behind the sometimes drastic variance in payment amounts.  For example, the amount for an oxygen concentrator was $72.36 in Akron, Ohio, but $189 in Chicago. The amount for CPAP devices was $38 in Oxnard, Calif., but $110.80 in Las Vegas. (Click here for more examples.) “It’s difficult to say...

WASHINGTON – CMS tonight released a “pivotal bid report” for Round 2021, in response to requests to share additional information on its latest round of the competitive bidding program. In the Las Vegas competitive bid area for example, the pivotal bid for CPAP devices, E601, was $110.80, a difference of 157.4% compared to the former CBA adjusted fee schedule amount. “CMS anticipates that this information will be helpful for stakeholders and other interested parties in...

YARMOUTH, Maine – The majority of competitive bidding contracts for off-the-shelf back braces in Round 2021 went to less than two-dozen companies, including a few that haven't traditionally provided them direct to consumer.  Companies with contracts include Hangar, a national provider of O&P; Medline, a distributor; and Breg, a manufacturer, which all won contracts nationally. Other contracts went to regional providers,...

WASHINGTON - CMS on Nov. 21 announced the contract suppliers for off-the-shelf knee and back braces in the next step in Round 2021 of its competitive bidding program.The agency announced on Oct. 27 that it had set the single payment amounts for the two product categories and had begun the contracting process.The payment amounts for OTS knee and back braces are, on average, 30% to 35% below Medicare's current fee schedule, based on a preliminary analysis by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.The...

WASHINGTON - HME providers that submitted bids for Round 2021 of competitive bidding now have the ability to view their financial score in Connexion. As part of the bid process, the competitive bidding implementation contractor evaluated a bidder's financial health by reviewing financial documents and calculating a financial score. The financial score is available to all bidders, even those that bid on the 13 product categories that were recently removed from the bid program. AAHomecare encourages...