WASHINGTON, DC – The recently released ESRD/DMEPOS Rule has the potential to significantly impact the HME sector for years to come. AAHomecare urges suppliers and stakeholders in our industry to add your voice on this Proposed Rule by submitting comments to CMS by Sept 10.
AAHomecare submitted comments to CMS on August 20. In your comments, we ask that you particularly consider advocating on these issues:
- Register your support for CMS proposals to change the methodology for calculating single payment amounts (SPA) under the CBP so that the SPA for the lead item in each product category and SPA would be based on the maximum or highest amount bid for the item by suppliers in the winning range.
- Ask CMS to extend the 50-50 blended rate relief in rural and non-contiguous areas to all providers in non-CBA areas.
- Ask CMS to establish payment rates in CBAs at their current SPA amounts, plus inflation adjustments going back to 2013 for the “gap period” between Jan. 1, 2019 and the start of the next bidding round.
- Ask CMS to modernize its Medicare oxygen policies to mitigate the effects of outdated budget neutrality provisions to stationary oxygen rates in non-CBA areas and establish new payment classes and higher reimbursement rates for liquid oxygen that better reflect the costs of providing that product.
The most important point to make in your comments is demonstrating how the competitive bidding program, and/or bidding-derived rates in rural and non-bid areas, is impacting your business and your ability to serve your patients, and how your recommendations will help relieve these problems.
This summary of priority recommendations we have shared with Capitol Hill may also be helpful in formulating your comments.
You can find the ESRD/DMEPOS Proposed Rule comment docket here. Submit your comments by clicking on the Comment Now! button at the top right of that page. You can either type or copy/paste comments in the box provided.
Related Materials
- AAHomecare comments submitted to CMS on Aug. 20
- Summary of our priority recommendations.
- Tips for submitting effective comments from Regulations.gov.
Comments are due by 11:59 pm (eastern time) on Monday, Sept 10.
Tom Ryan is president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare.