Boulder City, Nev. -- The state of Nevada now requires home medical equipment providers to have a state license to bill Medicaid or Medicare for HME. The law became effective April 1.

"The Medicaid provider number is only valid if providers have the Medical Device Equipment and Gas license," said Richard Pozesky, executive director and president of the Nevada Association of Medical Products Suppliers. Providers should have received letters from Medicaid notifying them that if they have not supplied the National Supplier Clearinghouse with their license numbers from the Nevada Board of Pharmacy, their Medicaid numbers are invalid, he said. "If you do not send a copy of the license to the National Supplier Clearinghouse you will not be reimbursed."

Pozesky noted that although providers need the same license for Medicare reimbursement, the Health Care Financing Administration had not at press time in mid-April set a date to cut off Medicare reimbursement for providers without licenses. "We are working with the Health Care Financing Administration and the NSC to determine that date," Pozesky said.

In other Nevada news, a bill backed by NAMPS was introduced to the state Assembly taxation committee calling for the elimination of retail sales tax on home medical devices.

"The purpose of Bill AB411 is to exempt all prescribed medical devices that are ordered or prescribed by licensed health care practitioners in the state of Nevada from taxes on retail sales," Pozesky said.

According to Pozesky, Assemblyman John Lee, D-Clark County, is sponsoring the legislation. Supporters include the Nevada Diabetes Association of Reno and the Nevada State Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, also in Reno. Pozesky said the bill was just beginning to make its way through legislative channels. "If it gets shot down we're done for the year and we'll have to start all over again."

However, similar legislation is being considered by the state Senate taxation committee. Pozesky said SB52 is not as inclusive as the Assembly bill "but it's still good ground to cover and we'll be promoting both of them."

Under SB52, provisions relating to the taxation of medical devices sold to government agencies would be clarified. "No matter who gets the device, as long as a government agency purchases the device, it is tax exempt," Pozesky said.