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American Association for Homecare Recommends Needed Improvements to Medicare Competitive Bidding Program, Set to Begin July 1
Date:6/23/2008

ly implemented. The homecare industry agreed to billions of dollars in cuts to pay for the delay.

-- Efforts to delay the bidding program do not delay accreditation requirements. Medicare has allowed fraud to proliferate throughout the Medicare system for decades. Long-overdue accreditation requirements for the homecare sector, advocated by our industry for 30 years, cannot happen soon enough.

-- Serving frail Medicare patients in their homes requires services and other non-equipment costs to ensure quality of care. It is misleading to compare Medicare reimbursement rates for home medical equipment and services with the cost of buying only the medical equipment over the Internet.

The competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2008 in 10 metropolitan areas: Charlotte, NC; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas; Miami, Fla.; Orlando, Fla.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Riverside, Calif.; and San Juan, P.R. The program is scheduled to expand to 70 additional areas in the U.S. in 2009.

For more information, including contacts with local providers, please contact:

Michael Reinemer, 703-535-1881; michaelr@aahomecare.org; or Tilly Gambill, 703-535-1896 - tillyg@aahomecare.org.

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) represents providers of durable medical equipment and related services and supplies as well as the manufacturers of that equipment. AAHomecare members serve the medical needs of millions of Americans who require home oxygen equipment, wheelchairs and other mobility products, hospital beds, medical supplies, inhalation drug therapy, home infusion, and other medical equipment, products, and services, delivered in the patient's home. AAHomecare's provider members operate more than 3,000 home care locations in all 50 states. See '/>"/>

SOURCE American Association for Homecare
Copyright©2008 PR Newswire.
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