Tag: Home Oxygen Equipment

WASHINGTON – With local coverage determinations for home oxygen therapy anticipated in October, Crispin Teufel, chair of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care, hopes the industry will get more clarity on a post-CMN environment.   The CMS requirement for CMNs is set to expire Jan. 1, 2023, and the industry has been pushing for a simple template with clear and objective clinical elements, says Teufel, who is also the CEO of Lincare.  “There’s not a lot of time,...

WASHINGTON – CMS has changed the implementation date of the new oxygen national coverage determination from Jun 14, 2022, to Jan. 3, 2023.  “This change only extends the implementation date to Jan. 1, 2023,” AAHomecare stated in a bulletin. “The new oxygen NCD coverage expansion will still be retroactively effective to claims with a date of service on or after Sept. 27, 2021.”  The new oxygen NCD, among other things, expands access for acute conditions...

Between the continuing threat of COVID-19 and lingering supply chain disruption, 2021 was a challenging year in the respiratory market for manufacturers, providers and patients alike. The pandemic has had a profound impact on the way the HME industry operates, while product distribution snarls have been a source of frustration.  These developments illuminated the HME industry’s profile within the overall healthcare spectrum, inspired a greater embrace of medical and information technology...

VICKSBURG, Miss. – David Hosemann has been in the HME industry so long, he used to get his oxygen from the hardware store.  “Not too many people in the DME industry today can say that,” said Hoseman, owner of Hometown Medical. “From there to the little POCs we are putting out now, that's how far technology has come.”  Hosemann was recently recognized by his staff for 40 years of service in the DME industry. Founded in 2002, Hometown Medical offers...

WASHINGTON - Dropping the CMN requirement for home oxygen without ensuring there are objective measures in place to support the need for therapy could expose providers to claim denials and put patient access at risk, says Crispin Teufel, chairman of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care.  “We appreciate the expansion of oxygen coverage, but at the same time, some things worry us, like the subjectivity to which providers are subjected to by contractors and judgment calls,” he...

YARMOUTH, Maine – Providers support proposed changes to the oxygen benefit that they say will ease paperwork burdens and expand access to therapy, but they’d like to see more details.  CMS in July issued a proposed national coverage determination for home oxygen therapy that, among other things, removes the CMN requirement and expands access for acute conditions.  “This would open it up for physicians being physicians and prescribing what they see as...

YARMOUTH, Maine – An increase in oxygen reimbursement is a shot in the arm for the HME industry, say providers. CMS in March released an updated fee schedule for oxygen that will result in an increase in fee schedule amounts ranging from $6.72 to $8.19 in former competitive bidding areas; $5.17 to $5.43 in other non-rural areas; and $4.14 to $6.82 in non-contiguous and rural areas, according to the VGM Group. “This is a big thing for our industry, and it needs to be celebrated,”...

GOLETA, Calif. – Inogen has appointed George Parr as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, effective April 12, 2021. Parr has 25 years of experience across medical technology, consumer products and industrial markets, most recently as executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Becton Dickinson and Company. “I would like to congratulate George on this appointment as I believe that he will be a tremendous asset to Inogen and a...

HOUSTON – Already taxed by the COVID-19 pandemic and equipment shortages, HME providers went to great lengths to continue servicing patients during a devastating ice storm in Texas.  The storm, which brought snow, ice and single-digit temperatures to a state ill equipped for such conditions, knocked power plants offline for lengthy stretches. In some cases, providers were forced to tell vulnerable patients to...

Q. How has COVID-19 impacted my oxygen concentrator repair needs?   A. Providers are running out of concentrators and having a tough time getting more. In a recent HME Newspoll, 86% of respondents reported equipment shortages, saying they’re waiting up to 12 weeks for new units, turning away patients or even risking future surplus by overordering.  Not surprisingly, they’re also...