Headline News
National Press Offers Positive Look at Home Health Care
ATLANTA — Home care hit the national news last week and the good news is, it wasn't all bad news.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, The New York Times gave a chunk of its front page over to an article on how several states are working to help seniors and those with disabilities leave nursing homes and return to their homes, where they receive their medical care.
It's a message that Lee believes the home care sector needs to communicate more and better, particularly to the federal government. "I think collectively we need to get the message out there and work together to utilize our trifecta message and really make it hit home," he said.
Lee said he is planning to invite Leland to Medtrade in Atlanta next month for an up-close-and-personal look at home medical equipment. It fits in nicely with the theme of the show, which is consumer advocacy, he said.
The Times article, however, was followed on Sept. 20 by a direct hit to HME from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on a Fox News "Fox & Friends" segment on scooters.
McCaskill, said the host, suggested "she's got a way to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare without cutting services to patients in need."
Her solution: cut any Medicare scooter benefits.
"Well, I don't know how many ads you've seen for scooters on cable TV, but I've seen a lot of them," McCaskill told Fox's Chris Wallace. "Those are scooters paid for by the American people and a lot of them are going to folks who don't need scooters. It's one example of many examples where we're paying for services or things instead of outcomes."
Her comment drew fire from Fox medical contributor Dr. Mark Siegel.
"This underlines the irrationality of bureaucrats making health decisions, and with all due respect to Sen. McCaskill, she doesn't know anything about these things I've been prescribing my entire career," Siegel said. "This is about an independent lifestyle."
He noted that scooters were for people who are unable to walk any distance or who have severe back pain.
"Without a scooter, you can't go shopping, you can't get the things you need," he said.
