Tag: Oklahoma
Oklahoma passes bill to exempt HME from sales tax
April 25, 2019HME News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma State Senate voted this week to pass H.B. 1262, a bill to make home medical equipment tax exempt. Currently, HME is taxed between 9.3% and 10.5%, depending on the county. “It's been a fantastic day for the DME industry and for the citizens of Oklahoma,” said Larry Dalton, president of the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association. “This bill will save the citizens money. This is a history-making day that we will not forget.” The bill...
State news: Oklahoma, North Carolina
February 7, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Fifteen members of the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association (OMEPA), other providers from the state and VGM's Jay Kopriva joined forces at the state capitol in Oklahoma City on Feb. 5 to educate and gather support from their state representatives for H.B. 1407, a bill that would exempt HME from sales tax. Currently, Oklahoma is one of only a few states that charges sales tax on HME and supplies. “We received overwhelming support for the bill,” Kopriva said in a VGM bulletin....
Oklahoma providers meet with Rep. Cole
April 6, 2018HME News Staff
NORMAN, Okla. - Members of the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association and the VGM Group hosted Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., at an event at Norman Regional Home Medical Equipment. Members discussed how DME and complex rehab providers care for patients. Cole was especially interested in the industry's efforts to keep patients in their homes. Also of interest: the flaws of Medicare's competitive bidding program, as his district falls within the Oklahoma City bid area. Jason Price of the Oklahoma...
Oklahoma considers steep cuts for Medicaid
April 11, 2017HME News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has had to map out budget scenarios for the upcoming fiscal year based on a 5% to 15% reduction in state appropriations, according to Tulsa World. A cut of 15% would mean eliminating some optional benefits and reducing provider rates by up to 25%. Benefits being evaluated for elimination include pharmacy, behavioral health and DME, according to the newspaper. Past budget shortfalls have resulted in eliminating or reducing sleep studies, perinatal...
Sleep group asks Oklahoma to reconsider dumping CPAP coverage
May 25, 2016HME News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY - The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is urging Oklahoma Medicaid program to reinstate coverage for sleep studies and CPAP devices for adult patients. Although the Oklahoma Health Care Authority has indicated it recognizes the benefits of sleep therapy, it cited a severe budget crisis in its decision to eliminate coverage for what it considers “optional” services, according to a press release from AASM. “These cuts will lead to increased medical expenses over time...
Oklahoma Medicaid announces 25% cuts
March 31, 2016HME News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which oversees the state's Medicaid program, is cutting reimbursement rates for more than 46,000 providers by 25%, according to local news reports. Due to a roughly $1.3 billion hole in next year's state budget, state agencies are being directed to prepare for cuts of 15% or more to their budgets. The cuts, which will affect DME providers, hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and nursing facilities, are slated to take effect July 1. "This is a market-changing...
Providers 'do the right thing' following tornado
May 24, 2013Liz Beaulieu, Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY - Though they weren't directly affected by the devastating tornado that plowed through nearby Moore on May 20, it hasn't been business as usual for two HME providers in Oklahoma City.
Provider Larry Pierce says the biggest obstacle immediately following the tornado was trying to maintain communication with patients.
“At 5, our phones roll over to an answering service and that went down the night of the tornado, so we had to rely on cell phones,” said Pierce,...