Wheelchair Repair Legislation
BOSTON – AAHomecare joined with NCART and HOMES to send a letter to leaders in the Massachusetts legislature registering opposition to S. 3136, a bill aimed at expanding wheelchair warranty protections in the state. While AAHomecare and our partners are committed to improving the wheelchair repair process to ensure consumers receive timely and quality repair services, the bill as currently written would place undue burdens on providers and manufacturers and ultimately reduce patient access to high quality mobility products.
The joint letter suggests alternate language to differentiate between legitimate warranty issues and normal wear-and-tear, overly prescriptive repair time-frames, length of warranty protections, and other areas to improve the legislation. See the joint association letter and supporting information shared with the legislators here.
Medical Supplies Council
ARLINGTON, VA – AAHomecare’s Medical Supplies Council focuses on the supplies space including woundcare, ostomy, urologicals, incontinence, enteral nutrition, and more. The Council met last week in person in Arlington, VA and via Zoom to strategize on opportunities impacting disposable supplies, such as developing advocacy resources for engaging states on sustainable reimbursement, addressing denials for home health Part A episodes, and product-specific initiatives for disposable supplies categories.
The Council also discussed the latest developments in the federal, state, and payer space. The Medical Supplies Council is open to all AAHomecare members. To learn more about the Council or to get involved, contact Ashley Plauché, AAHomecare director of member & public relations, at [email protected].
AAHomecare Submits Comments to CMS’ Make Your Voice Heard RFI
WASHINGTON, DC – On November 3, AAHomecare submitted comments to CMS’ Request for Information (RFI) regarding the following topics: accessing health care and related challenges, understanding provider experiences, advancing health equity, and the impact of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Waivers and Flexibilities.
In the comments, AAHomecare highlighted concerns over unsustainable reimbursement rates, recommended rate increases for CBAs, and permanent relief for non-rural areas. Higher rates are especially needed due to the high costs faced by suppliers during the public health emergency. In addition, AAHomecare requested permanent expansion of telehealth and adoption of clinical data elements. The comments were submitted on CMS’ website in a question and answer survey format. You can find AAHomecare’s full comments here.
Latest Supplier Tracking Shows First-Time Drop Below 9,000 Medicare DMEPOS Locations
AAHomecare’s quarterly supplier number tracking sheet is now available with October 2022 data. AAHomecare monitors the DMEPOS industry by reviewing the list of Medicare registered suppliers. The updated tracking sheet shows a decrease in the number of locations compared to a year ago. AAHomecare estimates there are currently 8,960 traditional Medicare DMEPOS locations across the country, which is the first time the reported number is below 9,000. Updated analysis shows about a 31% decrease in traditional DME supplier locations since 2013. To see more state-specific numbers, you can find AAHomecare’s supplier number tracking sheet and “heat-map” here.