Tag: Round 1 2017
Competitive bidding update: CMS awards new contracts, finalizes changes to program
November 4, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS on Nov. 2 announced the contract suppliers for the latest round of its competitive bidding program.For Round 1 2017, CMS says it has executed 182 contracts, 92% of the contracts it offered. The contracts will run from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2018.CMS says 92% of the contract suppliers are already established in the competitive bidding area, the product category, or both. It says 93% of small suppliers, those with gross revenues of $3.5 million or less, accepted offers.Contract...
CMS awards new contracts
November 2, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS on Wednesday announced the contract suppliers for the latest round of its competitive bidding program.
For Round 1 2017, CMS says it has executed 182 contracts, 92% of the contracts it offered. The contracts will run from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2018.
CMS says 92% of the contract suppliers are already established in the competitive bidding area, the product category, or both. It says 93% of small suppliers, those with gross revenues of $3.5 million or less, accepted...
DirectRx wins bid contract for nebulizers
October 25, 2016HME News Staff
TROY, Mich. - DirectRx Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy, says it has won a competitive bidding contract for nebulizers and related supplies as part of Round 1 2017. Under the contract, which runs from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2018, DirectRx will supply nebulizers and supplies to Medicare beneficiaries in Kansas City, and in Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio and Union counties in Indiana. “DirectRx is proud to be awarded this contract so that we can further our vision of helping patients with...
Providers prep for more fallout in Round 1 areas
October 7, 2016Tracy Orzel
YARMOUTH, Maine - HME providers in Round 1 areas are bracing themselves for an additional Medicare reimbursement cut of, on average, 5.2% on Jan. 1.For a lot of providers, the hardest part is explaining to patients why they can no longer service them, says Tammy Crim, general manager at Medical Comfort Systems in Charlotte, N.C., which won but declined a contract for general DME.“They don't understand what's going on,” she said. “When someone has been getting CPAP supplies from...
TENS, CPAP devices see biggest hits in Round 1 2017
September 16, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - HME providers will see an overall reduction in Medicare reimbursement of 5.2% from the Round 1 re-compete to Round 1 2017, according to an analysis by AAHomecare.
The products with the biggest decreases in reimbursement when the latest iteration of the program goes live on Jan. 1, 2017: TENS devices at 45.1%, followed by CPAP devices at 18.5%.
On the flip side, the products with the biggest increases in reimbursement: manual hospital beds at 9.8% and nebulizers at 6.8%.
The...
Bid fight has new urgency
September 9, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has delivered a one-two punch to the HME industry, with precious few days left to line up legislation to slow down the spread of competitive bidding.The agency on Thursday first published an update to its “impact monitoring” of competitive bidding, saying the program continues to have no impact on access to HME. Then it published a new set of payment amounts for HME as part of Round 1 2017, which goes into effect Jan. 1.For one of the most common products put out to bid,...
CMS announces Round 1 2017 payment amounts
September 8, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has announced the new single payment amounts for Round 1 2017 and has begun sending contract offers.CMS said a total of 1,523 contract offers will be extended to 198 bidders for Round 1 2017. Small suppliers make up 46% of the suppliers that will be offered contracts.The seven product categories included in the Round 1 2017 are: enteral nutrients and equipment; general home equipment; nebulizers; negative pressure wound therapy pumps; respiratory equipment; standard mobility...
New contract period has pros and cons, say providers
August 28, 2015Tracy Orzel
YARMOUTH, Maine - HME providers are on the fence over whether the shorter contract period for Round 1 2017 is a draw or a deterrent.“If you didn't get a contract, you know you could rebid in two years instead of three,” said Debra McMenamin, owner of Pro-Serv Medical in Pittsburgh. “If you did get a contract, then you have to go through the whole thing again—one year sooner—which is stressful.”Stakeholders speculate that CMS made the switch from a three-year to...
VGM takes bid show on road
August 26, 2015HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa - The VGM Group will take to the road again with its Fall Seminar Series on competitive bidding. The fall/early winter series will be held in a dozen metropolitan regions encompassing the nine Round 1 2017 bid areas. Topics will include the 2016 roll-out of regional competitive bid reimbursement for all non-bid areas in the country, operational efficiency improvements, and generating alternative/additional revenue sources. Registration for Round 1 2017 opened Aug. 25.
CMS shortens Round 1 contracts
August 14, 2015Tracy Orzel
BALTIMORE - CMS announced the timeline for Round 1 2017 last week, with one noticeable difference from previous rounds: The contract period is two years instead of three.Stakeholders say CMS most likely reduced the contract period to two years so that Rounds 1 and 2 would both end Dec. 31, 2018.“There's a good chance CMS could scrap the bid program in its entirety and do something to update the fee schedule or do some kind of national bid program,” said Seth Johnson, vice president of...