Tag: Sen. John Thune

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 - Industry champion Sen. John Thune recently asked CMS officials if six months is long enough to monitor the impact of rolling out competitive bid pricing nationwide.At a Senate Finance Committee hearing Jan. 21, Thune, R-S.D., asked CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt how CMS is monitoring the roll out and whether or not the agency would consider extending the current phase-in period beyond July 1.“We have the absolute authority, when we see access issues, to step in and prevent...

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 that...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has agreed to be an original co-sponsor, along with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D, on a bill that would soften the blow of the nationwide rollout of competitive bidding pricing on Jan. 1, according to AAHomecare.“When the South Dakota providers met with Sen. Thune earlier this year and he agreed to work with Rep. Price, the industry needed a Democratic lead, and Sen. Heitkamp seemed like the logical fit,” said Barb Stockert of Jamestown, N.D.-based Sanford...