LAST month, the Obama administration announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would make much greater use of competitive bidding to buy medical equipment for Medicare patients. Because of Medicare’s size and position in the health care market, it is likely that this policy will be quickly adopted by Medicaid and private insurers.
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CMS official visits Missouri to discuss competitive bidding flaws
From: Home Care Magazine
Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator and director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) visited Potosi, Mo., on May 21 to discuss problems related to providing HME goods and services through competitive bidding in rural Washington County.
Blum participated in a roundtable discussion, visited a rural pharmacy and spoke with HME providers, other health care professionals and Medicare beneficiaries. He heard concerns about patient access difficulties, cost-shifting, calls to 1-800-MEDICARE, audits, job losses and HME business closures.
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NAIMES reports that Round 1 eliminated at least 324 providers
From: Home Care Magazine
The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers (NAIMES) reported last week that a list of providers that have closed because of Round 1 of competitive bidding now stands at 324.
The list is being compiled at the request of members of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, which recently conducted a hearing on competitive bidding. During the hearing, NAIMES raised the issue of HME providers going out of business.
NAIMES noted that the VGM Group has collected a list of 300 companies that went out of business, and NAIMES had collected 24 more company names.
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A Special Message to DME/HME Suppliers
From: People for Quality Care
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Bid fight: Stakeholders keep heads down
From: HME News
by: Theresa Flaherty
WASHINGTON – Fresh off a congressional hearing on competitive bidding, industry stakeholders last week seized the momentum by working to build an even stronger case against the program.
At the top of their to-do list: Compiling a list of businesses in Round 1 competitive bidding areas (CBAs) that have closed, per a request by Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio. Numbers weren’t available at press time on Friday afternoon.
“We have received a number of reports from manufacturers who sell HME items to providers, our state leaders and buying groups that highlight the negative effects of competitive bidding,” said Walt Gorski, vice president of government affairs for AAHomecare, which is compiling the list.
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NAIMES reminds providers to submit competitive bidding comments
From: Home Care Magazine
The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers (NAIMES) issued a reminder last week that May 23 is the deadline for submitting comments that will be included in a hearing on competitive bidding conducted May 9 by the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.
“Every state has a unique story about the impact of bidding on their members and these compelling facts should be included in the record,” NAIMES said.
Go to the committee website for directions on how to submit testimony. -
CRE Sends White House Critical Analysis Of DME Bid Program
From: Inside CMS
On the eve of a House hearing on the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness last Tuesday (May 8th) sent John Holdren, assistant to the president for science and technology, a paper that recommended CMS pay for a laboratory simulation of the DME bidding rules to assess their efficiency and determine how they should be changed. The paper, which is critical of the bidding effort, analyzes the program and compares CMS’ design to that of auctions developed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The purpose of such a trial, which is the process FCC has used to design auctions, would be to fairly compare how the CMS bidding rules affect the price of durable medical equipment and services, CRE says. The clinical test could also compare the difference in the quality of the services received by beneficiaries through the CMS bidding program and the quality of services beneficiaries receive paid for under a price schedule. CRE recommended the clinical test also evaluate the sustainability of the auction process compared to other sets of rules.
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Providers pledge to keeping fighting competitive bidding
From: Home Care Magazine
More than 300 providers have signed the I’m Still Fighting Pledge, a vow to engage their customers in a fight against Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program, according to People for Quality Care, the advocacy division of the VGM Group. The commitment ranges from simple tasks of handing out educational information to the more complex tasks of engaging local advocacy group, referral sources and media to help educate the public about competitive bidding. To sign the pledge, go to the organization’s website.
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When Competitive Bidding Hurts Patients
From: New York Times
By DENNIS ROSEN
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CMS: Get Ready for DMEPOS Competitive Bidding
Editor’s Note: In the following release from CMS, the agency states that their contractor “is the official information source for bidders” and encourages industry members to “stay informed” by obtaining information from the contractor. CRE encourages industry members to stay informed by reading and posting on the Competitive Bidding Interactive Public Docket, by reading the trade press, and by following and participating in the activities of industry and patient advocates working to protect beneficiaries from the evolving impacts of CMS’ not-so-competitive bidding program.
From: CMS/Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC)
The Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program Round 1 Recompete is coming soon!!
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Providers pledge to keeping fighting competitive bidding
From: Home Care Magazine
More than 300 providers have signed the I’m Still Fighting Pledge, a vow to engage their customers in a fight against Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program, according to People for Quality Care, the advocacy division of the VGM Group. The commitment ranges from simple tasks of handing out educational information to the more complex tasks of engaging local advocacy group, referral sources and media to help educate the public about competitive bidding. To sign the pledge, go to the organization’s website.