CPAP shifts: Contracts signed, questions remain
05/24/2013Theresa FlahertyYARMOUTH, Maine – With the majority of Round 2 CPAP contracts awarded to out-of-area suppliers, providers say they expect to see the re-supply market shift toward mail-order—a...
View ArticleMedical supplies council monitors bid impact
05/24/2013Theresa FlahertyALEXANDRIA, Va. – Although AAHomecare’s Medical Supplies Council has a lot on its plate, it comes as no surprise that the impact of competitive bidding tops its agenda.“We are...
View ArticleRegionals make 'bold' moves
Landauer, Allcare Medical merge; Norco buys two West Coast providers06/21/2013Theresa FlahertyCompanies that plan to participate in competitive bidding have begun to consolidate in the lead up to July...
View ArticleCan contract suppliers turn away patients in bid areas?
06/21/2013Guest CommentaryFor months now, we have heard Medicare competitive bidding Round 2 contract winners and non-contract winners, alike, ask if and how contract winners can turn away patients....
View ArticlePrimer: Where is the industry at with competitive bidding RIGHT NOW
Theresa Flaherty06/27/2013We are fielding daily calls from worried providers (and manufacturers and distributors) wondering what the HME industry will look like next week if Round 2 kicks off on...
View ArticleCMS pushes back face-to-face requirement
06/27/2013HME News StaffBALTIMORE – The HME industry got a small reprieve today when CMS announced it would not enforce the new face-to-face requirement until Oct. 1.The rule is technically slated to...
View ArticleIn brief: Lawmakers call for investigation, Allstate sues DME entities
06/28/2013HME News StaffWASHINGTON – In a June 21 letter to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, call on the agency to investigate the...
View ArticleDisqualified contract suppliers speak out
06/28/2013Liz BeaulieuNASHVILLE, Tenn. – Industry stakeholders and lawmakers have made an example out of them in their fight against competitive bidding, but some disqualified contract suppliers for...
View ArticleReady or not, providers chart life under Round 2
‘This has become a very tough business’06/28/2013Elizabeth DepreyYARMOUTH, Maine – With the arrival of July and, along with it, Round 2 of competitive bidding, providers in 91 cities have set Plan B in...
View ArticleStakeholders: Delay efforts don’t end July 1
06/28/2013Theresa FlahertyWASHINGTON – After the failure of an 11th hour attempt to delay the July 1 start date of Round 2 of competitive bidding, HME industry stakeholders have set their sights on the...
View ArticleLawmakers to CMS: ‘Do the right thing’
07/03/2013HME News StaffWASHINGTON – Round 2 of competitive bidding may be the law of the land in 91 cities, but that’s not stopping lawmakers who oppose the program from pressuring CMS.On June 27,...
View ArticleSchool of hard knocks
Providers offer bidding education through many channels07/03/2013Theresa FlahertyYARMOUTH, Maine – From low-tech mailings to high-tech QR codes, HME providers say they’ve done what CMS hasn’t—educate...
View ArticleTake action on competitive bidding
07/11/2013HME News StaffALEXANDRIA, Va. – With Round 2 of competitive bidding now underway, industry stakeholders plan to crank up the pressure on lawmakers with a virtual fly-in July 18.AAHomecare is...
View ArticleIn brief: Stakeholders to shut down switchboards, Sanomedics to buy sleep...
07/12/2013HME News StaffALEXANDRIA, Va. – With Round 2 of competitive bidding now underway, industry stakeholders plan to crank up the pressure on lawmakers with a virtual fly-in July 18. AAHomecare is...
View ArticleCMS offers grace period, providers still exposed
07/12/2013Liz BeaulieuBALTIMORE – CMS has implemented a 120-day grace period for obtaining documentation for CPAP devices and supplies in areas included in Round 2 of competitive bidding, officials...
View ArticlePFQC spotlights South Carolina
Beneficiary told to travel 150 miles for power wheelchair07/12/2013Theresa FlahertyCHARLESTON, S.C. – It’s a scenario that’s likely playing out in competitive bidding areas (CBAs) across the country:...
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Providers, beneficiaries, referral sources: No one’s happy
07/12/2013Liz BeaulieuYARMOUTH, Maine – It doesn’t matter if you’re a contract supplier or a non-contract supplier: In the first few days of Round 2 of competitive bidding, you’re spending the bulk of...
View ArticleCash + ABN can keep non-contract suppliers in the game
07/17/2013HME News StaffBALTIMORE – Non-contract suppliers in Round 2 competitive bidding areas can provide service to Medicare beneficiaries if the patient agrees to pay cash and signs an advanced...
View ArticleIndustry applies pressure, stands ready
‘I am not going to be satisfied until we get competitive bidding stopped,’ says Rep. Thompson07/19/2013Theresa FlahertyWASHINGTON – The heat wave blanketing the East Coast last week had nothing on the...
View ArticleIn brief: ResMed claims victory, AAH builds war chest
07/19/2013HME News StaffSAN DIEGO – ResMed announced July 18 that an investigation by the U.S. government has resulted in a recommendation that the International Trade Commission (ITC) stop Taiwanese...
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