SHAWNEE, KS – On Monday, Kansas-based HME supplier Cherub Medical Supplies hosted Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) on a visit to their Shawnee facility to show how supply chain challenges are impacting the HME community and the patients it serves. Leaders from MAMES and Reliable Medical Supplies also took part in the session, highlighting the need to improve the flow of computer chips and other critical materials and components to medical equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
In a press release following up on the visit, Davids noted her support for the CHIPS Act, legislation to “strengthen the domestic supply chain, lower costs, and make these critical materials here at home.”
Davids has also introduced the SUPPLIES Act, a bill providing grants to small and medium manufacturers that shift production to make PPE and testing suppliers in future public health emergencies.
The HME advocates also used the opportunity to ask Davids to support efforts to align Medicare reimbursement rates to the market realities and higher costs suppliers are currently facing. The participants in the session were especially appreciative of Rep. Davids’ sincere interest in their work and related policy issues, spending an hour and a half engaging with them at the facility.
CERT Reports 28.6% Improper Payment Rate for DMEPOS
WASHINGTON, DC – Last month, CMS published the 2021 Medicare Fee-For-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data report. This is an annual report published by CMS’ Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program that is intended to measure the improper payments made in the Medicare FFS program.
The CERT improper payment rate is highly referenced when developing policies and is one of the main indicators for audit projects. The 2021 report reviewed claims from July 2019-June 2020. The CERT reports the DMEPOS improper payment is 28.6% which is a 3.2% drop from 31.8% error rate that was reported for the previous year.
The CERT report continues to show that insufficient documentation is the main driver of the DMEPOS error rate. Insufficient documentation error accounted for 76.9% of the DMEPOS error rate.
You can find full 2021 CERT Improper Payment Report here. The improper payment rate varies depending on product category. See examples in the chart.
