Tag: H.R. 1717
Congressman wants supplier feedback on bid program
May 23, 2014HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, wants to hear from suppliers on the competitive bidding and re-review processes, according to an AAHomecare bulletin. Renacci, a former DME provider who lost in the Round 1 re-bid, will host a roundtable on the bid program and other issues affecting DMEPOS suppliers June 5 in Ohio. AAHomecare is compiling answers to a short online survey and sending them to Renacci. In other competitive bidding news, H.R. 1717 picked up three additional co-sponsors last...
Market-pricing bill picks up co-sponsor
May 1, 2014HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., has thrown his support behind H.R. 1717, the “Medicare DMEPOS Market Pricing Program Act of 2013.” The bill, which would replace the current competitive bidding program with an industry supported market-pricing program, now has 172 co-sponsors. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., on April 24, 2013.
Industry pushes forward after disappointing vote
March 28, 2014Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - In a setback for the HME industry, the House of Representatives on March 27 passed a “doc-fix” bill that contains no amendments to fix the competitive bidding program.“Am I frustrated? Absolutely,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president and CEO. “But I remain confident that the support we've ginned up over the past several months (will continue).”The temporary fix prevents a 24% cut in Medicare payments to physicians for one year. The Senate is scheduled...
Full plate: AAH tackles audits, bidding, consumer engagement
March 14, 2014Liz Beaulieu, Editor
LAS VEGAS - AAHomecare is on the verge of making announcements in three key areas, association officials told Medtrade Spring attendees on March 11.Audits: Time to force things to happenAfter trying to work with the administration and CMS on reforming the audit program for several years, Jay Witter, vice president of government affairs, said, “There are things that need to be forced to happen” through legislation.“(A bill) is close to being finalized,” he said. “We'll...
New contract suppliers, new licensure issues?
November 8, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - It's still early, but industry stakeholders are already hearing reports of licensure issues in the Round 1 re-compete.This time, however, it's licensed providers that say their bids were rejected because, according to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC), they were not properly licensed.“We've just begun licensure analysis, but CMS seems to be making the same kind of mistakes,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare....
Industry to analyze list of contract suppliers
November 1, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Now that they have both the single payment amounts and the names of the contract suppliers for the Round 1 re-compete in hand, HME industry stakeholders are wasting no time analyzing the information.“Has CMS made the same kind of mistakes that it's made in the past?” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “Are there licensing issues, are there accreditation issues? Those are certainly things we are going to look at.”When...
Bidding: AAH abandons lawsuit, lawmakers apply pressure
September 27, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has dropped its bid to stop competitive bidding in the courts.
The association, along with Havre de Grace, Md.-based Home Mediservice, filed a lawsuit in June that argued CMS violated its own rules by awarding Round 2 contracts to providers that didn't meet licensure requirements.
“Based on the signals that we've received from the court and the advice of legal counsel, it didn't appear that we would see any different outcome,” said Tom Ryan, president...
Have one voice, even with your competitors
August 23, 2013Letter to the Editor
It has been my pleasure and duty in the recent days and months to attend two meetings with Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., in which we discussed Medicare's flawed competitive bidding program and the disastrous effects it is having on patients not only in our Florida District 15 but also across the country. At each of these meetings, there were more than a dozen HME providers stating the facts and letting their voice and the voices of their patients be heard.Sego's Home Medical Equipment, being a family...
In brief: Seven more sign on, ResMed takes new action
July 26, 2013HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - In the wake of the industry's recent virtual fly-in, H.R. 1717 has picked up an additional seven co-sponsors, bringing the current total to 144. The bill, which was introduced April 24 by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., would repeal the competitive bidding program and replace it with a market-pricing program (MPP). “Shoring up that support is important,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “Feeding lawmakers information about the...
Industry applies pressure, stands ready
July 19, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The heat wave blanketing the East Coast last week had nothing on the heat the HME industry applied to lawmakers as part of a virtual fly-in July 18.“We notified every representative in the state and got a lot of good feedback,” said Paula Hardison, office manager for New Bern, N.C.-based Carolina Diabetic Supply. “We've shared our representatives' email addresses with employees and customers, as well as the complaint line and the number to (the Capitol Hill switchboard).”The...