Tag: John Thune

WASHINGTON – Sens. John Thune, R.-S.D., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure seniors can continue to access certain clinical services from their pharmacist. The bill would allow Medicare to reimburse for certain pharmacist-administered tests, treatments and vaccinations for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and strep throat, in accordance with state scope-of-practice laws....

AMSTERDAM – A comprehensive testing and research program on the PE-PUR foam in certain CPAP, BiPAP and mechanical ventilator devices has shown very low prevalence of visible degradation, Philips announced in an update on June 28.  In first-generation DreamStation devices, which represent 68% of registered affected devices globally, testing found:   164 of 36,341 (0.5%) devices with self-reported no ozone use showed significant visible foam degradation.  777 of...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., met with MAMES members in Sioux Falls, S.D., on June 29 to discuss the critical issues facing the HME industry.  Members, as well as executives from AAHomecare and The VGM Group, discussed critical staffing shortages, cost increases and surcharges, flawed reimbursement rates and burdensome documentation requirements.  “Sen. Thune spent an hour listening to MAMES members explain how they were an integral part of the health care...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A fundraising event for Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., netted nearly $17,000 for the senator's campaign fund and gave HME providers a chance to re-engage with the longtime industry champion.The industry is looking to Thune, a member of the influential Senate Finance Committee, to introduce a companion bill to H.R. 2771.“He was attentive and listened to what everybody had to say,” said Rose Schafhauser, executive director of the Midwest Association of Medical Equipment Services,...

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan bill to “smooth the transition” to competitive bid pricing in rural areas dropped today in the Senate. Introduced by Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., the DME Access and Stabilization Act seeks to ensure HME providers can still serve Medicare beneficiaries, according to a press release. “It is important that people receive quality health care, no matter where they live,” said Thune. “Not only does this legislation ensure...