The next meeting of the Program Advisory and Oversight
Committee (PAOC), charged with advising CMS on implementing
competitive bidding in 2007, is scheduled for Feb. 28 through March
2, in Baltimore. For the first time, CMS will allow
non-committee members to speak at the meeting, time permitting.
According to a tentative list of topics from CMS, the PAOC will
cover four broad areas: payment issues, small supplier issues, data
collection and quality standards. For more on the committee and
its members, see page 20.
Rep. Mike Ross, the only HME provider in Congress, has been
appointed to serve on the House Committee on Energy and
Commerce, which has jurisdiction over HHS and the FDA, among
other agencies. The Arkansas HME and pharmacy owner said he plans
to bring his knowledge of health care issues as a small-town
provider to the table.
CMS recently expanded coverage of insulin infusion pumps for
diabetes. The final National Coverage Determination, announced
Dec. 17, allows coverage of an alternative test to identify
beneficiaries with type 1 diabetes who would benefit from the pump.
The decision also expands the coverage of insulin pumps for
patients with type 2 diabetes by standardizing C-peptide testing
and relaxing the criteria for those with kidney disease.
