MassHealth gives DME boost

BOSTON – Industry stakeholders who are lobbying state Medicaid officials to earmark dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act for DME got their first win in Massachusetts in July, setting a precedent for other states. 

MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, has increased reimbursement 10% for DME claims from July 1 until the end of the year. It has also increased reimbursement 50% for K0739, which covers repair or non-routine service for DME, other than oxygen equipment requiring a skilled technician. 

“We want Massachusetts to be the trendsetter,” said Jason Morin, president and CEO of the Home Medical Equipment and Services Association of New England (HOMES). “Now we have an example we can hold on to with other states.”  

Because the American Rescue Plan Act calls for funding to be specific, MassHealth earmarked dollars for DME under workforce development, meaning providers are limited to using the additional funding on things like hiring employees, raising salaries and launching training initiatives. 

Morin is now taking the win in Massachusetts and sharing it with the other five states that HOMES represents, including New Hampshire and Connecticut, which both recently decided not to include DME in their relief packages. 

“We’re working to overturn that,” he said.  

Morin credits the relationships that HOMES and its members have developed with state Medicaid officials, as well as leadership from AAHomecare, for the win. 

“The team the state has in there is really responsive to the issues the industry has, whether it’s the pandemic or the recall,” he said. “They’ve taken the time to learn what we do and value the care we bring to patients. It’s gotten to the point where, even when we’re not present in conversations at the state level, they’re advocating on our behalf.”