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Harkin Decries 'In the Home' Policy, Calls for Change
Sen. Thomas Harkin, D-Iowa, called for the "in the home" policy currently governing Medicare's reimbursement of wheelchairs to be changed because it does not reflect users' needs and hampers fulfillment of the goals of the Americans with Disabilities ...
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Special Chocolate Could Delay Brain Decay
Researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science last month said a special type of cocoa could help maintain brain function and stave off cognitive decline and dementia as people age...
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Health Care Spending to Double By 2016
U.S. health care spending will nearly double by 2016, reaching $4.1 trillion from $2.1 trillion in 2006--and the fastest-growing sector is home health care...
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Cigna Ramps Up for Jurisdiction C MAC Duties
Cigna Government Services is pushing to add more than 200 positions in preparation for taking over as the Jurisdiction C durable medical equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor, officials said late last week...
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Thomas Takes on New Role in Washington
Bill Thomas, former chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and a long-time foe of the home medical equipment industry, will make his first public speech today as a visiting fellow of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
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Denials Soar for Wound Therapy Claims in Jurisdiction A
A pre-pay probe review of Jurisdiction A claims for negative pressure wound therapy has resulted in more than three-quarters of those claims being denied, according TriCenturion, the DME Program Safeguard Contractor for regions A and B...
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Home Care Groups Bash Bush Budget
In a move both expected and dreaded by home medical equipment providers, last week President Bush revealed his 2008 proposed budget, which includes a 13-month cap on oxygen rentals and elimination of the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs.
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Invacare: Good News for New O2 Technology
On Friday, HME manufacturing giant Invacare Corp. issued a statement objecting to cuts in President Bush's budget proposal for 2008 that would impact both home oxygen and power wheelchairs. ...
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Answers on MSAs and Bid Products Coming, CMS Says
In a scheduled conference call Thursday with accrediting organizations, CMS officials confirmed that the agency's final rule on national competitive bidding is in the final clearance stage before publication....
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Senate 'Stops Short' of Endorsing Norwalk
On Tuesday, members of the Senate Finance Committee "shopped short" of endorsing CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk as the agency's permanent head, CQ HealthBeat reported. ...
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Industry Awaits Bush Budget, Prepares for Action
With President Bush's 2008 budget proposal expected today, industry stakeholders, alarmed by rumors that it will include provisions harmful to home care, have been gearing up for a response.
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CMS to HMEs: No Deadlines Yet, but Get Accredited Now
In what turned out to be only a blip on the accreditation radar, CMS has rescinded a change request that gave an April 2 implementation date for Part B providers to be accredited in order to maintain their supplier numbers and bill Medicare...
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Price Reintroduces Bill to Repeal O2 Cap
Last Monday, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., reintroduced the Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act.
The bill would repeal the Deficit Reduction Act's rental cap on Medicare home oxygen and restore ownership of equipment to providers.
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CMS Formalizes Accreditation Mandate
In a formal change request issued Friday afternoon, CMS said all DMEPOS providers who bill Part B must be accredited before being awarded a contract under Medicare's upcoming national bidding competition--and to do business with the program...
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HME Mergers and Acquisitions Down
HME mergers and acquisitions declined in 2006 because of reimbursement uncertainties, according to a report from The Braff Group, an M&A firm that specializes in the home care sector...
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200 Miami HMEs Lose Provider Numbers
Some 200 HME providers in the Miami area have received letters from the National Supplier Clearinghouse suspending their provider numbers--and many, if not all, are without appropriate cause, attorneys and providers said...
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