TENNESSEE – HME provider Kevin Atkins penned an op-ed for The Jackson Sun earlier this month. Atkins is president of Home Medical Products Inc. Based in Tennessee, the company provides Tennesseans on Medicare with service and products through its 10 store locations across the Volunteer State and into Mississippi and Kentucky. Home Medical Products Inc submitted a piece detailing the problems with regulatory policies covering the HME sector, including drastic reimbursement cuts for rural providers, stating:
“Our team at Home Medical Products helps seniors receive quality services and products through Medicare. I am frustrated because the federal government continues to change the rules governing my business and customers. They have been doing it for decades, and I am fed up. This drastically impacts my family, my employees and, most importantly, the Medicare customers I serve.
“Our company began with one employee in 2004, and we grew at our height to more than 70 team members and significant revenues, which paid salaries and health insurance as well as benefited the community. Today, our numbers are declining due to continued irregular Medicare policy changes, and it’s most troubling because it will ultimately leave seniors with nowhere to go for critical services and in-home products.
“Please do not misunderstand. I do not mind sharpening my pencil to plan my business and evolve my model with new technology, advancements and other changes in the industry. My concern is that the government is forcing change with significant unintended consequences, and I am going through a lot of pencils trying to keep up.
“HME businesses across the country continue to battle last-minute regulation changes, dramatic price swings, and a constant push to force seniors to accept lower quality of care. Many similar companies around the country are closing their doors for good as a result.”
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Kevin Atkins is the president of Home Medical Products Inc, based in Tennessee, the company has 10 store locations across the Volunteer State and into Mississippi and Kentucky.
