New Program Puts Millions at Risk

From: Front Page Magazine

Posted By Tait Trussell

A bipartisan House bill to be introduced this week aims to block a new ObamaCare program that’s putting the health and often the lives of millions of Americans at risk. The program was launched in the nation’s nine largest cities in January, with 91 other major cities forced to comply later in 2011.

The program affects millions of Medicare beneficiaries who must have oxygen therapy, tube feeding, breathing assistance devices, and diabetic supplies, as well as those needing wheelchairs and hospital beds. It severely restricts the access, quality and choice of both the elderly and the disabled by limiting the number of companies allowed to furnish equipment and services necessary for living and well-being. In some cases to ill-equipped providers are chosen.

GAO says Medicare program unsustainable in its present form

From: CCH /Aspen Publishers

GAO says Medicare program unsustainable in its present form Medicare continues to be a high risk program because of its size, and its vulnerability to making improper payments to suppliers and providers according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Medicare in its current form is unsustainable and will need to be changed to achieve efficiency and savings in the program, said the GAO report.

Issues and challenges

Sen. Roberts Asks White House for Executive Order Review of Competitive Bidding

On February 15th, CRE sent a letter to HHS’ Acting General Counsel requesting that the DME competitive bidding program be reviewed under the retrospective review provisions of Executive Order 13563 because the program contradicts “the President’s regulatory goals by needlessly sacrificing thousands of small businesses and tens of thousands of jobs.”

On March 10th, Senator Pat Roberts took the important step of informing the White House that competitive bidding is among the programs that should be reviewed under the EO because of concerns about their negative economic impacts.  The Senator also told the President that, now that Round 1 has been implemented, “I am concerned that patients, especially in rural areas, are facing issues related to access.”

H.R. 1041 Introduced to Repeal Competitive Bidding

From: Home Care Magazine

WASHINGTON — Washington legislators will get a strong message from HME providers attending the American Association for Homecare Legislative Conference this week: Support H.R. 1041.

The new bill to repeal DMEPOS competitive bidding, called the Fairness in Medicare Bidding Act, was introduced Friday by Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., and Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.

“It would be a full repeal and be budget-neutral,” said Altmire press aide Tess Mullen.

The two congressmen, long champions of home care, will discuss the bill at a Capitol Hill press conference tomorrow morning. Altmire will further detail the bill in his scheduled speech at the AAHomecare conference on Wednesday, Mullen said.

Will There be Oversight on April 5th?

CMS has announced that the  Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) on April 5, 2011.  PAOC is the independent advisory committe that is supposed to provide meaningful oversight of the CMS competitive bidding program as charged by Congress.  Whether any meaningful oversight will take place is TBD.

Meeting information:

Date: April 5, 2011
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21244

New DMEPOS Supplier Safeguards Proposed Rule

CMS sent a Proposed Rule to OMB today for review concerning:  Revisions to Certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Suppliers Safeguards (CMS-6036-P2).  The proposed rule was not included in CMS’ Unified Agenda of planned regulatory actions.  CMS states that there is a judicial deadline for the rule.

Loaded Letter: CRE Takes New Aim at Competitive Bidding

From: Home Care Magazine

WASHINGTON — The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness fired another shot against competitive bidding last month, sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that asks for a retrospective review of the CMS program.

In the Feb. 15 letter, addressed to HHS acting General Counsel Sally Howard, the CRE, a regulatory watchdog organization, cited President Obama’s Jan. 18 executive order calling for a new regulatory strategy as the catalyst for such a review. In his order, the president directed federal agencies to submit plans for review of existing regulations to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within 120 days.

Medical Equipment Suppliers Struggling Under New Medicare Competitive Bidding Program

From: Becker’s ASC Review

Medical equipment suppliers are finding it hard to remain financially viable as CMS rolls out a new competitive bidding program, according to a Crain’s Cleveland Business news report.

Under the new program, which went into effect this year in nine regions and is set to expand to other regions later this year, only medical equipment suppliers that win competitively bid contracts with the federal government can be reimbursed by CMS. The program is supposed to help save the agency approximately $28 billion over the next 10 years, but suppliers are having trouble adjusting to the new system.

FAMES and FAHCS Discuss Competitive Bidding Concerns with CMS Deputy Administrator Blum

From: VGM

The Florida Association of Medical Equipment Services (FAMES) and the Florida Alliance of Home Care Services (FAHCS) met with CMS Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum on Feb. 23 in a “listening session” to discuss the competitive bidding program. According to FAMES, the entire session was spent discussing the issues and problems that have occurred since the implementation of Round One. FAHCS also reported that it seemed that Blum used the session to collect data to improve Round Two of the program.

Below are the updates as they reported to their respective members. VGM thanks both FAMES and FAHCS for sharing their information about the meeting.

NewsPoll: Providers weighing Round 2 pros and cons

From: HME News

By Theresa Flaherty Managing Editor

YARMOUTH, Maine – Ready or not, competitive bidding is coming around again, and providers in Round 2 areas must decide whether to participate.

In the most recent HME NewsPoll, 75% of respondents located in a Round 2 competitive bidding area said they planned to submit a bid.

“I’ve committed my life to this business, and unfortunately, Medicare is a necessary evil,” said Lori Sears, owner of Active Home Medical Supply in Lapeer, Mich. “We will focus on becoming more efficient and trying to find easier ways to stay informed.”