Tag: Tom Ryan
Upcoming Legislative Conference: Office visits, watercooler chats boost support
April 11, 2025Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare’s first in-person Washington Legislative Conference in several years will allow attendees to not only line up support for industry causes but also set the stage for years to come with new members on committees of jurisdiction.
“We have a number of freshman lawmakers that have been appointed to these committees,” said Jay Witter, senior vice president of government relations. “This is a great opportunity for our folks to establish these...
Data, tools & advocacy keys to industry’s success, panelists say
February 19, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
DALLAS – The HME industry needs to take a more data-driven approach to proving its value to legislators and policymakers, said the leaders of several councils during the AAHomecare Update at Medtrade on Wednesday.
“Ten years ago, the story did the trick,” said Cameo Zehnder, chief administrative officer of Pediatric Home Service, who participates on the Payer Relations Council. “Not so anymore. You need the data.”
Zehnder was joined by Laura Berry,...
Trump’s tariffs: ‘The costs stack up’
January 24, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – HME manufacturers in January were watching closely as the rhetoric around potential tariffs on imports from certain countries heated up and they were taking steps to mitigate any risks, including stocking up on inventory.
Following his win in the November election, President Donald Trump singled out countries like China, Mexico and Canada for double-digit tariffs in a move that he believes will protect companies in the U.S. and encourage more companies to make products...
Industry champions ‘ready to fight again’
January 17, 2025Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – With the new Congress already sworn in and at work, HME stakeholders are looking for a quick re-introduction of legislation that would extend Medicare’s 75/25 blended rates in certain areas, says AAHomecare.
Despite intense lobbying, H.R. 5555 and S. 1294 failed to make it into an end-of-year spending package during the previous Congress. Introduced in 2023, the bills that would have extended the blended rates for an additional year in non-competitive bidding, non-rural...
AAHomecare seeks input on costs
August 24, 2023HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare is launching a nationwide survey to gather information on the rising costs of products, shipping and labor for those providing home oxygen equipment, CPAP devices and hospital beds.
Insights from the survey will be used on Capitol Hill to build support for continuing Medicare’s 75/25 blended reimbursement rates in non-bid, non-rural areas and to secure a 90/10 blended rate for former CBAs.
“The HME community has been operating under constrained...
Lobbying for reimbursement relief is urgent, stakeholders say
August 4, 2023Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – With lawmakers back in their home districts for the August recess, industry stakeholders are pressing for grassroots activity, which will help set the stage for a big push for reimbursement relief in the fall.
The major ask at play: S. 1294, introduced in April by Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., which would extend the 75/25 blended Medicare reimbursement rate for suppliers in non-rural, non-competitive bidding areas through the end of 2024.
“We’re...
AAH to Congress: It’s ‘rough’ out there
May 13, 2022Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare had several meetings lined up with lawmakers on Capitol Hill the week of May 9 as it worked to grow support for reimbursement relief.
“We’re primarily working the House side on H.R. 6641 and the committees of jurisdiction – Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO. “Unfortunately, it’s all Republicans, because they are the only ones doing face-to-face meetings.”
Introduced Feb. 8...
Industry challenges: ‘They’re concerning to everyone’
October 1, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare kicked off the busy fall legislative session with its first-ever Virtual Legislative Conference last week and a sign-on letter pressing CMS to finalize a DMEPOS proposed rule that would adjust payment rates.
The letter, spearheaded by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., a ranking member on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, and Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., is the first in a two-step process to get relief for the industry, says Jay Witter.
“We’ve...
Rising costs and stagnant reimbursements are squeezing HME suppliers
October 1, 2021HME News Staff
That’s a phrase I’ve used repeatedly over the last year-and-a-half in interviews, op-eds, and discussions with policymakers and HME leaders. As AAHomecare continues the aggressive national media outreach campaign we started this year, and also engages Capitol Hill and CMS to secure much-needed and long-overdue adjustments to Medicare reimbursement rates, I know I’ll have ample opportunity to continue to point out HME’s essential contributions to meeting the challenges posed...
AAH on HME: ‘We solve the crisis’
May 14, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare is striking while the iron is hot with its recent decision to engage a public relations firm to help the industry show the value of HME.
“Home oxygen therapy right now is on the tip of the tongue to the average person (due to the COVID-19 pandemic),” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the association. “They’ve heard about vents, too. They know, what would a day without...