Reps. Sewell, Smith launch sign-on letter to protect access to oxygen
By HME News Staff
Updated 12:51 PM CDT, Mon July 17, 2023
WASHINGTON – Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., are collecting signatures for a sign-on letter asking CMS to accept the standard written order as the only necessary documentation to establish medical necessity for audits of home oxygen, sleep and non-invasive ventilation claims submitted during the public health emergency, according to AAHomecare.
The letter asks CMS to protect patient access by instructing contractors to use CMS’s widely accepted oxygen clinical data element templates, along with the SWO, instead of medical record notes to determine medical necessity.
“Approximately 1 million beneficiaries began supplemental oxygen and respiratory therapies during the PHE and will continue to require these services,” the letter states. “The reauthorization process would overload the already stressed health care system, requiring patients who utilize these services to repeat their therapy qualification process. This would especially place an undue burden on rural patients.”
AAHomecare encourages stakeholders to send a message to their members in the House of Representatives, asking them to sign the letter. It has made available a pre-drafted note in its Voter Voice advocacy system.
The letter closes on July 27.
Sewell was behind a sign-on letter in August asking CMS to streamline documentation for home oxygen therapy.
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