Tag: Interim Final Rule (IFR)
In brief: West Virginia lawmakers go to bat for HME; Patientco, TwelveStone receive investments
July 27, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A group of senators and representatives from West Virginia has sent a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma saying the agency's May 9 interim final rule “does not go far enough” to ensure continued access to DME for the elderly and disabled in rural areas.
The group points out that, while the IFR reinstates 50/50 blended reimbursement rates, it only does so for rural and non-contiguous areas, not all non-competitive bidding areas.
“We were hopeful that...
IFR comments pass 100 mark
July 3, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A competitive bidding-related interim final rule had 136 comments on Monday, July 9, the deadline.
Stakeholders have been pushing for comments on the IFR, which reinstates 50/50 blended reimbursement rates—but only from June 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, instead of retroactively from Jan. 1, 2017; and only in rural and non-contiguous areas instead of all non-bid areas.
The deadline or submitting comments is July 9.
Submit your comments here.
Stakeholders push for comments on bid-related IFR
June 22, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa - With only two weeks left until a July 9 deadline, a paltry 56 comments have been submitted in response to a competitive bidding-related interim final rule.
“And we wonder why (nothing changes),” John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM, told attendees at last week's Heartland Conference. “CMS refers to comments all the time. Take the time when you get back to your office to do the comments.”
The IFR, published in the May 11...
CMS to allow use of IFR rates in Medicaid calculations
June 14, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has agreed that states can process claims using the higher fee schedule amounts for claims in rural areas from June 1-Dec. 16, 2018, according to a bulletin from AAHomecare. Previously, the agency had said that any fee schedule adjustments would not impact 21st Century Cures Act reconciliation as they would be using the Jan. 1, 2018 rates. The agency also agreed that states that are not simply basing their rates on Medicare rates can present their utilization for reconciliation on...
VGM crafts comment template
May 17, 2018HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa - VGM has created a template for suppliers to use when drafting their comments on the interim final rule. Providers are encouraged to hit on a few key points, including that future policy decisions must include providers in all non-bid areas that serve patients in “non-rural” areas; that the adjusted fee schedule is unsustainable; that the oxygen “double-dip” has pushed reimbursement rates below the single payment amount; and that CMS's complaint and access...
CMS rule falls far short of bid relief
May 11, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The long-anticipated interim final rule landed with a thud last week, when it became apparent that it offered little in the way of bid relief, say industry stakeholders.
“It's not the IFR we were expecting,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “They didn't even do half of what were anticipating and, more importantly, what folks on Capitol Hill were anticipating.”
The IFR, published in the May 11 Federal...
CMS provides limited bid relief
May 9, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS will publish an interim final rule in the Federal Register on May 11 that resumes reimbursement rates for DME included in the competitive bidding program to the 50/50 blended rates from June 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, in rural areas.
“This action will help Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas continue to access life-sustaining DME, like oxygen equipment,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
In 2016 and 2017, information from the bid program was used to adjust Medicare...
Status changes for bid-related IFR
May 9, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The status of an interim final rule that would provide relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program was changed to “concluded” on May 8.
Previously, the status of the IFR, which has been sitting at the Office of Management and Budget since August, was “pending.”
An abstract for the IFR states that it would extend a phase-in period for a second round of reimbursement cuts for DME and enteral nutrition in non-bid areas from June 30, 2016, to Dec....
Bid relief update: Stakeholders target ESRD rule, as pressure mounts
May 4, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders say an upcoming rule could be a potential vehicle for changes to Medicare's competitive bidding program.
Last week, the Office of Management and Budget indicated that the proposed rule, CY 2019 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, is under review.
“We talk to the Health and Human Services folks all the time and they have assured us they are working on all of our issues,” said Jay Witter, senior vice president of...
Bid relief: Sen. Hatch calls for action
May 4, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who is chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, has written a letter to HHS and CMS urging them to provide relief from Medicare's competitive bidding program, the VGM Group reports.
In the May 1 letter, Hatch urges HHS to submit a mandated report on the impact of the application of competitive bidding rates in non-bid areas, and to take appropriate action to ensure access to DME in those areas.
Hatch also urged the agencies to address...