Home Health & Hospice Week
Campaign To Repeal Bidding Hits Roadblocks
Repeal would cost $9.6 billion, CBO says. Suppliers had hoped the DME bidding repeal contained in House bill H.R. 3790 would be budget neutral, but the legislation actually would cost $9.6 billion over 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office recently estimated. Suppliers continue to pursue non-legislative alternatives to stop bidding as well. On May 11, the Texas Alliance for Home Care Services and Dallas Oxygen Corp. filed a lawsuit to stop the program. The suit says the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services violated rulemaking notice and comment procedures regarding the program's financial standards. In an April Open Door Forum, CMS's Joel Kaiser said CMS would not make the details of the standards public to avoid manipulation by bidders (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XIX, No. 16, p. 127). The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers says it expects DME payment rates under bidding to be more than 30 percent below current levels. NAIMES estimates CMS will release bid prices in June. Meanwhile, CMS has issued more instructions about the bidding program that is slated to take effect Jan. 1. CR 6918 discusses bidding for Medicare Advantage enrollees.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Fraud & Abuse:
Senate Puts Home Health Therapy In The Hot Seat
Wall Street Journal article sparks congressional HHA probe. Changes in your therapy visit patterns under [...] - Billing:
Drop A 'Jr.' In A Patient's Name And Face Denials With 5010
Claims system to get much pickier when new claim form hits. You'll want to start [...] - Human Resources:
5 Tips Help You Steer Clear of Sharps Injuries
Don't stick with this No. 1 bad habit known to cause injuries. Prevention is the [...] - Occupational Safety:
Know Your Options for Managing Needlestick Injuries
You should consider HIV prophylaxis for an employee in this scenario. Picture this: You're administering [...] - Competitive Bidding:
Campaign To Repeal Bidding Hits Roadblocks
Repeal would cost $9.6 billion, CBO says. Durable medical equipment suppliers desperately want an end [...] - Industry Notes:
Watch For New CHOW Guidance To Replace Current Rule
Change in rule will help only some HHA ownership transitions. The feds have rescinded their [...] - Industry Notes
• The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice plan to [...] - Industry Notes
• Just when you thought you could rest on your HIPAA laurels, a new case [...] - Industry Notes
• If your Medicare contractor identified an overpayment that the Medicare program paid you and [...] - Industry Notes
• The Florida Medicaid program plans to use voice recognition technology to fight home care-related [...] - Industry Notes
• If you're owed more money on a claim that was submitted and processed before [...] - Industry Notes
• CMS's take on the new 12-month deadline for submitting Medicare claims will make the [...] - Industry Notes
• Don't bother sending in certification for your psych nurses -- it's no longer necessary. "The [...] - Industry Notes
• Gentiva Health Services Inc. saw its profits cut nearly in half in the latest [...] - Industry Notes
• Amedisys Inc. will be one of the agencies receiving a piece of the pay [...] - Industry Notes
• Authorities arrested an HHA owner in Orange, N.J. on charges that his agency billed [...]
