Reimbursement:
DME GETS A PASS FROM PRESIDENT,MEDPAC -- FOR NOW
Published on Mon Feb 09, 2009
Suppliers still have a lot of work to do, trade groups urge. The beginning of the 2010 budget war is quiet for durable medical equipment suppliers. Is it a sign that lawmakers will leave the industry alone this year or merely the calm before the storm? In his 2010 budget proposal, President Barack Obama laid out no new cuts for DME. The blueprint "did not address HME budget issues," notes the American Association for Homecare. And for once, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission also didn't make any DME-related recommendations in its March report to Congress, points out the National Association for Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers. False sense of security: But those unusual steps shouldn't leave suppliers feeling safe this congressional session, experts warn. Lots could happen during the course of the session. "It's much too early to know just how President Obama's budget will affect DME," says NAIMES's Wayne Stanfield [...]