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OIG: Part B Drug Pricing Method Flawed
WASHINGTON--The method CMS uses to determine payments for Part B drugs is flawed and cost Medicare $110 million last year, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General....
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DME MACs Prepare for Start-Up
BALTIMORE--Despite protests that may delay the implementation of new DME Medicare Administrative Contractors in two jurisdictions, all four contractors are preparing to start their outreach to providers, a CMS official announced last week....
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MedPAC: Medicare Spending Must Be Checked
WASHINGTON--If Medicare spending growth is left unchecked, the program will absorb "unprecedented shares" of the gross national product and federal spending, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission warned last week....
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CMS Delays Physician Add-On Payment for PMDs
BALTIMORE--Physicians and treating practitioners who prescribe power mobility devices will not receive payment for supplying medical records to HME providers until April, CMS has announced....
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Health Care Spending to Double by 2015
WASHINGTON--Spending on national health care will double by 2015, reaching some $4 trillion yearly, according to a CMS study released last week and published in the online journal Health Affairs....
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Respiratory Giants Feel the Pain
CLEARWATER and ORLANDO, Fla.--Following Apria Healthcare's recent announcement of decreased revenues for 2005--with net income for the year at $66.9 million compared to $114 million in 2004--respiratory providers Lincare Holdings and Rotech Healthcare also have reported year-end results they said were negatively affected by reimbursement cuts to respiratory meds, DME and home oxygen. ...
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Industry Unhappy with HME Targets in Bush '07 Budget
WASHINGTON--In his $2.77 trillion FY 2007 budget proposal, released last week, President Bush calls for a major bump in spending to develop a nationwide, interoperable health information network, including personal electronic health records for most Americans by 2014. He proposes $169 million in health information technology spending for the Department of Health and Human Services, up from $111 million in the current year. ...
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AAHomeCare, Cox Part Ways
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--AAHomecare announced last week that Kay Cox has stepped down as president and CEO effective Feb 6. According to a statement issued by the association, the decision was mutual between Cox and its board of directors. ...
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New Inhaled Insulin an Alternative to Shots
WASHINGTON--A new form of insulin approved by the Food and Drug Administration allows diabetics to ingest it through an inhaler, potentially making insulin shots a thing of the past....
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CMS Adds Temporary Cushion Codes
BALTIMORE--CMS has established four new temporary K codes for adjustable wheelchair cushions, the agency announced on Friday....
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Ohio Woman Sentenced, Fined for Posing as HHS Official
COLUMBUS, Ohio--A federal court has ordered an Ohio-based medical supplier to serve a 30-month prison term and pay more than $300,000 in restitution for impersonating a Department of Health and Human Services official and defrauding government health programs....
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VGM to Sell Company to Employees
WATERLOO, Iowa--Employees of the VGM Group will eventually take ownership of the company under a new stock option program announced last week....
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HME Stakeholders Scramble As Budget Bill Vote Looms
WASHINGTON--With Congress scheduled to vote on the 2006 federal budget reconciliation bill Wednesday, the American Association for Homecare is rushing to correct misinformation that it says is being spread in support of the bill. ...
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CMS: Part B Drug Benefit Remains Unchanged
BALTIMORE--Since the launch of the Part D Medicare drug benefit at the start of the New Year, there has been much confusion over which drugs should be billed under Part D and which under Part B. Callers from physician offices and pharmacies to DME companies, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals reportedly have jammed CMS’ phone lines with questions. ...
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Users Tangled Up in New CMS Web Site
BALTIMORE--CMS' newly designed Web site is causing headaches for some users who are reporting broken links and difficulties adjusting to the new format, participants said at the agency's Home Health, Hospice and DME Open Door Forum last week....
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