Home Health & Hospice Week
ID Number Changes Coming HHAs' Way
Lone Star state sparks provider ID shuffle. If you needed proof the home health agency market is booming, look no further than the latest instructions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
"The State of Texas has run out of provider numbers for home health agencies," CMS says in May 7 Transmittal No. 80. Currently, HHA provider numbers use these series: 3100-3199, 7000-8499, and 9000-9499. Starting Oct. 4, CMS is adding 9500-9799 to the HHA series.
HHA branch ID numbers will see some changes as well. CMS is putting the letter "Q" in the third position between the state code and the four-digit provider designation, the transmittal indicates.
CMS will add three more digits at the end of the number branch ID number to consecutively identify each branch, up to 999. "In the event that an HHA branch closes, its unique branch identification number is terminated and will not be reused to identify another branch of that HHA or subunit," CMS explains.
Billings-based Juro's United Drug argued in county court that while Medicaid didn't pay for the company's direct delivery of diapers in the Billings area, it should pay shipping costs for the items for customers outside the area, according to the May 4 decision in Juro's United Drug v. Montana Dept. of Health and Human Services, (Mont., No. 03-075).
But the Medicaid program's prohibition on paying delivery fees applies both to provider travel costs and third-party shipping costs, the Montana Supreme Court said in the appeals decision. At issue was more than $10,000 in Juro's delivery costs from 1995 to 2000.
By paying unaudited claims with the delivery charges included, the Medicaid program didn't authorize reimbursement for the costs -- another of Juro's arguments, the court notes.
Southfield, MI-based Arcadia Services had $75 million in revenues in 2003 and has locations in 21 states. Arcadia Rx had revenues of $3 million in 2003, while Critical had $5 million in revenues for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2003, it says.
The nearly 16 percent cut to inhalation drug rates cost AHP $1.9 million in revenues for the quarter, the Brentwood, TN-based company says. AHP warns that the average sales price-based rates coming in January 2005 "will not cover the cost of providing inhalation drugs," causing providers to exit the inhalation drug business.
Air Products plans to make between $50 million and $75 million in acquisitions per year, it says.
The Buffalo Grove, IL-based home infusion and specialty pharmacy provider had net income of $4.3 million on revenues of $103 million for the quarter, compared to a $4.0 million profit on $93 million in revenues for the same period in 2003.
The company plans to accelerate its acquisition program, it says.
PSAI is planning acquisitions and has a pipeline of candidates, the Norcross, GA-based company says.
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ID Number Changes Coming HHAs' Way
Lone Star state sparks provider ID shuffle. If you needed proof the home health agency [...]
