WASHINGTON--Noting that the threat still looms and is very real, various industry groups urged providers last week to help battle further home oxygen and power wheelchair reimbursement cuts by lobbying their senators and representatives.

Stakeholders thought they had sidestepped such cuts when a bill reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, went to President Bush without any DME provisions to offset its funding. But Bush vetoed the measure, and legislators have gone back to the table to hammer out a compromise bill. According to insiders, they have not dismissed the possibility of lowering the oxygen cap from its current 36-month rental period, nor have they eliminated the idea of doing away with the first-month purchase option for power chairs.

Congress is also looking for funds to reverse, or at least lessen, a 10 percent reduction in Medicare physician fees set to take effect Jan. 1. Among the suggested ways to pay for the so-called "doc fix": HME oxygen cuts.

"As Congress tries to wrap up pending issues before year's end, both oxygen and power wheelchair reimbursement issues remain on the table," AAHomecare reported in its newsletter last week.

According to a post on the VGM Group's Web site, as the Senate Finance Committee struggled through Friday to shape a doc-fix package, "What's being heard now is rather than shrinking down the capped rental period from 36 to 18 or 13 months, the committee is looking at other 'payment reforms' that might save some money with the understanding that arbitrarily shrinking the rental period is still an option."

The groups called on providers to get in touch with their legislators to lobby against such measures.

AAHomecare "urges that providers speak with members of key committees that have jurisdiction over Medicare (Senate Finance, House Ways and Means, House Energy and Commerce committees)," the association said. And VGM, along with a number of state associations, will host a Capitol Hill call-in on Wednesday to raise awareness of HME issues.