Archive: March 2005
RAMP to CMS: Clarify PWC documentation
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
WASHINGTON -- Before CMS implements new coverage criteria for power wheelchairs, it should clarify what documentation providers must furnish to prove medical necessity, according to Restore Access to Mobility Partnership (RAMP).
As part of its ongoing process to develop new coverage criteria for power wheelchairs, CMS has requested recommendations on how to craft an effective documentation process.
Last week, RAMP called the current documentation policy one of the biggest flaws in Medicare' PWC...
Billing services debate: Do it yourself or hire a third party?
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
Just about every HME provider has faced the situation where a cash flow pinch causes DSO totals to back up like a clogged sink. As with plumbing, if the problem becomes chronic, you either call in an expert or try to fix it yourself.
Which way works best? Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages, so ultimately it's up to providers to determine which method best fits their operation.
"It depends on the individual," said Richard Basch, national sales director of Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based...
Harris County continues its wayward ways
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
HOUSTON -- While the number of power chair claims being filed in Harris County has dropped precipitously since CMS began cracking down on fraudulent providers there, the denial rate is still remarkable high.
Between October 2004 and January 2005, CMS denied 87% of all power chair claims filed in Harris County. Sixteen percent of those denials were the result of failures to supply additional documentation requested to support the claim. CMS denied 67% of the claims for failing to meet Medicare's...
Dr. Petty: Change O2 reimbursement
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
DENVER, Colo. — In his role as the acknowledged father of long term oxygen therapy (LTOT), Dr. Tom Petty has regularly lambasted providers for placing their economic goals ahead of a patient's clinical and equipment needs.
He's mellowed a little bit on this point, but not much.
“The good providers are moving from the thing they can do to the thing they should do,” Petty said last month, adding that the movement is hardly universal. “I've had some friendly fights in public...
Charley Ruckstuhl: A rehab industry diplomat
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
LARGO, Fla. — Diplomacy isn't limited to political appointees with attaché cases. Some of the best ambassadors, such as Charley Ruckstuhl, work in healthcare sales.
Bruce Bayes, president of Custom Mobility learned this first hand in 2002. That's when Bayes, after watching how Ruckstuhl mobilized his rehab clients to successfully lobby Florida Medicaid for pediatric “K” codes, recruited Ruckstuhl for his team. Sales reps who take on additional responsibility and demonstrate that...
Rotech controls costs, boost earnings
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rotech CEO Phil Carter absorbed a lot of criticism from disgruntled employees when he began cutting costs and jobs in 2003, but his efforts appear to be paying off, at least financially. In the fourth quarter of 2004, Rotech's net earnings jumped to $10 million compared to $7.8 million during the same period in 2003, the company reported in its year-end financial statement released in late February. For the fiscal year that ended Dec. 31, 2004, net revenues were $534.5 million...
Bathroom stalls generate biz
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
ROCHESTER, N.H. -- Talk about a captive audience for your marketing efforts.
In addition to TV and print advertising, Lakeside Mobility & Scooter now displays its services and products on a poster-size billboard attached to the inside of handicapped restroom stalls.
"They can't go anyplace for one, two or three minutes so we figured it was the perfect place for us to advertise," said Bernie Hamann, who owns Lakeside Mobility. "We've been in stores and shopping malls and people have come up and...
Power chair & scooter coding tests due by Sept.
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
WASHINGTON -- CMS set a Sept. 1 deadline for manufacturers to submit the power chair and scooter test results that will be used to match products with the 49 new billing codes that are expected to take effect in 2006. Manufacturers must have their products evaluated at one of the 30-35 RESNA certified testing facilities worldwide. Test results must be submitted with an application to the SADMERC by Sept. 1. It is CMS's goal to have sufficient information on the full range of products by September...
HME protestors get tough with Missouri governor
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Discarded walkers, crutches and prosthetic limbs littered the rotunda of Missouri's Capitol building in February during a protest organizers hoped would send a message to the governor about the impact of his proposed Medicaid cuts.
A sign reading "The Governor's Waste" was posted next to a trash bin full of durable medical equipment, the centerpiece of protest that drew a crowd of 80 to 100 people.
"We keep hearing the governor say that there is so much waste and fraud...
Competitive bidding: It's like 'motherhood and apple pie'
March 31, 2005HME News Staff
DUBLIN, Ohio -- The HME industry has fallen short in its efforts to prevent the phrase "competitive bidding" from become a fixture in the vocabulary of Washington lawmakers, according to industry supporter Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio.
"Hobson has lectured us on that," said Kam Yuricich, executive director of the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers. "Even in his efforts to educate his colleagues on that issue, we are already at a disadvantage when you start the conversation with 'competitive...