Tag: MAMES

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequestration cuts from March 31, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021.  H.R. 1868, which passed 246-175, would also exempt the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan from the statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, eliminating an additional 4% Medicare cut that would amount to about $36 billion in 2022.  On March 15, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.,...

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota’s Department of Human Services should not be able to recoup payments from DME providers for items provided prior to July 1, 2019, as part of the agency’s attempts to become compliant with the 21st Century Cures Act, says MAMES Executive Director Rose Schafhauser. She testified before the state’s Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee via Zoom on March 22 on SF 1128, a bill...

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s 2022-2023 budget recommendations include cuts to DME, according to a bulletin from MAMES. Specifically, the budget proposes changing the Medical Assistance reimbursement formula for durable medical equipment that is also covered by Medicare but is not currently subject to the upper payment limit to the equivalent of the Medicare rate. The state’s Department of Human Services estimates the...

MADISON, Wis. – MAMES requests examples from Michigan-based providers on situations were a prior authorization submitted for a traditionally non-covered item required more information, causing delays in patient access. As of Aug. 1, 2020, Wisconsin Medicaid removed the list of non-covered items from the DME service area of the Online Handbook in accordance with a federal statute. Since then, the MAMES Insurance Committee has been working on issues related to this change and...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - WellSky is buying CarePort Health from Allscripts in a bid to improve patient care transitions across the continuum and drive better outcomes.  With the addition of CarePort, WellSky is positioned to manage the acute-care discharge process, track patients across post-acute care settings, apply patient and population level analytics, and support EMR-based care, the company says.  “Together with CarePort, WellSky will establish new, meaningful connections...

VGM is offering a low-cost virtual conference platform to help state associations hold virtual conferences. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to force associations to cancel in-person events, a primary source of income for many of them. “We are trying our best to fill the hole created by COVID-19,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations. “Online events can't compare to the in-person events, but we can certainly continue to learn, share ideas and network with each...

DULUTH, Minn. - With its annual events bringing in a “huge chunk” of revenues each year, MAMES has decided to go big with a virtual conference this fall. MAMES opened up its 2020 Midwest Conference & Exhibit Hall, scheduled for Oct. 6-9, to other associations and so far 13 covering at least 28 states have signed on. “If a state association wants to be part of it, we'll give them a stipend for every one of their member companies that registers,” said Rose Schafhauser, executive...

DULUTH, Minn. - The Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services has announced its 2020 Midwest Conference & Exhibit Hall will take place virtually Oct. 6-9. “The surging numbers of COVID-19 and the current social distancing and safety guidelines now in place preclude us from holding this event in a live setting,” said Rose Schafhauser, executive director. The event will include management and staff level training spread out over the course of four days, with rotating morning and...

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,...

DULUTH, Minn. - Rick Adamich, president of Waukesha, Wis.-based Oxygen One, recently won MAMES Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes members for their legislative work at the state, regional and national level. HME News spoke to Adamich about the importance of advocacy, as well as some do's and don'ts. HME News: Why do you make time for advocacy?Rick Adamich: There's strength in numbers. We need to have a voice as an industry and if I tried to go it alone, that's not going to work. It's not...