Dublin, Ohio The Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services and the Ohio Council for Home Care have joined forces to battle the Health Care Financing Administration's consolidated billing regulation that will affect both the home medical and nursing service industries.

The initiative was mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and is set to go into effect in October 2000.

According to the initiative, home health agencies will be required to bill durable medical equipment prosthetics and orthotics supplies used by their patients. "Two of the problems that will occur from the initiative deal with the billing process and the receivables," said Hal Freechling, president of OAMES. "Their computers do not have the appropriate programs to bill, and the receivables will be enormous."

The association is trying to educate legislators about future conflicts, Freechling said. "What we have done through the Ohio association is begin a letter-writing campaign to bring to their attention the problems within the initiative," he said. "It is too soon to see the impact this has had."