CQRC questions OIG findings
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed May 30, 2018
WASHINGTON - The Council on Quality Respiratory Care criticized a recent report from the Office of Inspector General, saying it underestimates the negative impact of the competitive bidding program on access for oxygen patients. The CQRC states that the “limitations in the report's methodology signal significant flaws in the OIG's conclusions.” It points out that the OIG, itself, acknowledges that continued Medicare payment “is not a direct measure of continued access to oxygen equipment and contents” and that “the response rate for our survey was too low to project the results to all beneficiaries for whom claims did not continue.” The CQRC in March released its own report citing lost or limited access due to the bid program. “It is past time for CMS to correct the competitive bidding methodology with a set of rules that ensures access to oxygen and home therapies for Medicare patients in need of respiratory care as well as adequate reimbursement to providers dedicated to the delivery of high quality home oxygen care,” said Dan Starck, chairman of the CQRC.
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