HME Licensure Rules Pending in Illinois Oak Brook, Ill. Licensure rules for Illinois home medical equipment providers are expected to be issued by January 2000, according to Molly Lesh, lobbyist for the Illinois Association for Medical Equipment Services.

But it isn't too early for providers to put what will be required procedures into place, advised IAMES president Jim Rankin. "I encourage all members to begin preparing for licensure now," he said during a seminar to update IAMES members on licensure. "Don't wait for the rules to be finalized."

The legislation, which was passed in 1997 after three years of IAMES lobbying, calls for providers to comply with state and federal laws, maintain customer satisfaction records and confidential patient records, create on-call staffing for 24-hour availability and meet minimum insurance requirements. It also recommends that providers maintain employee records and conduct regular employee training. IAMES officials said they expect the final rules to mirror these recommendations.

The Illinois Department of Professional Regulation will administer the licensure program, which requires all providers servicing beneficiaries in Illinois to be licensed. The licensure fee is expected to be about $300.

New York Association Seeks Abolition of Sales Tax on Medical Equipment Albany, N.Y. To tax or not to tax, that is the question. The New York Medical Equipment Providers Association is seeking elimination of a state requirement that HME providers pay sales tax on medical equipment and supplies sold to Medicaid beneficiaries.

NYMEP members have been working with the state's Department of Taxation and Finance to resolve the issue.

The association's stance is that federal law prohibits the collection of sales tax from Medicaid recipients, said attorney Carla Hogan, who represents NYMEP. "We're being required to collect a sales tax," she said. "On the other hand, we believe we are in violation of the law if we do that."

The association is also arguing that medical supplies should be exempt from sales tax if they are used for a medical purpose, even if they may also have a non-medical use.

A decision from the taxation department is expected shortly, Hogan said, noting that the department was to have responded by mid-April, but asked for more time.

PAMS Honors Student Co-founder of Program for Disabled With Scholarship Harrisburg, Pa. The Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Shannon Calega.

Each year, the association recognizes a superior student who has overcome a physical challenge with the help of home medical equipment. Calega has osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle-bone disease that requires her to use a wheelchair. A Pittsburgh-area high school senior, she is in the gifted education program and an honor roll member. She is also the co-founder of Interact, a teen program for assisting disabled people. She will attend the University of Tampa in the fall.