Posted by: Rob Brant
on Dec 23, 2009
Dear Members,
As we approach the end of the year, we at AMEPA have been reflecting upon the past year, all we have accomplished and all we still need to do. This has been an exciting year for us. We testified to a Congressional Subcommittee through our President Robert Brant, we hosted a successful statewide conference, we have been to Washington 5 times to advocate for legislation to repeal competitive bidding, we helped create and manage two state associations FAHCS and TAHCS, and working with them and all of our members we were able to initiate the bill HR 3790. We are pleased to report that through our efforts and those of AAHomecare, VGM and other state and national organizations there are officially 118 co-sponsors and several others who have committed to sign during the current recess.
Posted by: Sean Schwighammer
on Dec 17, 2009
Round One rebidders have sent a number of questions, trying to understand how capacity and weights impact the DMEPOS bidding program. Reviewing what happened in the original Round One bid, it is clear that some providers placed uneducated "blind bids" that unnecessarily affected items that should not have been lowered.
For example: The 2008 bid program payment amounts for the oxygen contents codes, dropped nearly $17 (From $77 to $60) in many of the CBAs. It made little sense that those items would drop $17, since the bids were placed in the summer of 2007 and those items first became effective 15 months later, in January 2009.
Posted by: Rob Brant
on Oct 23, 2009
The cost of maintaining accreditation, surety bonds and licensed Respiratory Therapists, combined with cuts in reimbursements and caps in monthly payments have finally caught up with oxygen providers. According to Medicare's website, in Los Angeles County, CA there are only 120 oxygen providers remaining, compared to the 258 which existed in April 2008. During the same time, Miami-Dade County, FL oxygen providers dropped from 401 to 205.
Posted by: Rob Brant
on Oct 15, 2009
U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL) introduced a budget neutral, bi-partisan bill today, HR 3790, to repeal the highly criticized competitive bidding program in DMEPOS.
The Florida Alliance of Home Care Services (FAHCS) and the Texas Association of Home Care Services (TAHCS) in conjunction with The Accredited Medical Equipment Providers of America and AAHomecare have been working with the Congressman's office for several months now, pushing for legislative action to repeal DMEPOS competitive bidding.
