New Medicare Equipment Bidding Program for Riverside, California Area is Rife with Errors, Says the American Association fo... (care and reimbursement rates for oxygen ...)

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New Medicare Equipment Bidding Program for Riverside, California Area is Rife with Errors, Says the American Association for Homecare

Date:4/7/2008

care and reimbursement rates for oxygen have already been cut by nearly 50 percent over the past 10 years. The DME industry has long argued that this new program will needlessly punish established, high-quality providers, reduce the DME industry's focus on service, and harm patient access to care.

The DME industry consists primarily of small to medium-sized businesses serving relatively small service areas. The average DME company receives about 50 percent of its business from Medicare patients. Loss of this business will result in layoffs and business failure for many DMEs.

"The Secretary of Health and Human Services has called home-based healthcare 'radically' more efficient than institutional care, yet the federal government is determined to aggressively dismantle the nation's homecare infrastructure at a time when our healthcare system needs it the most," said Tyler J. Wilson, president of the American Association for Homecare. "DME spending is the smallest sliver of Medicare, less than two percent of spending, and is the slowest-growing segment. Taxpayers may ultimately face higher costs as hospital stays lengthen due to more complicated hospital discharge logistics, more emergency room visits, and cost-shifting from Medicare Part B to Part A services."

The American Association for Homecare is pursuing regulatory, legislative, and legal remedies to allow for review of the cases of those DME providers that have been disqualified and is calling for the suspension of the first round of the bidding program until questions about patient access and harm to DME providers can be fully assessed.

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) represents providers of durable medical equipment and related services and supplies as well as equipment manufacturers. AAHomecare members serve the medical needs of millions of Americans who require home oxygen equipment, wheelchairs and other mobility products, hospital beds, medical supplie
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New Medicare Equipment Bidding Program for Riverside, California Area is Rife with Errors, Says the American Association fo...(care and reimbursement rates for oxygen ...),Health