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Letter to Delay Oxygen Cap Gains Scores of Signatures
"Members of Congress need to be educated about the incredible shortcomings of the new oxygen rule," she said. "That's really our top priority as an industry. People in Congress are already hearing that. And this does further the message."
The question, she said, is how to fix the problem permanently. "That's not an easy answer. In the short term — the next month or two or three — political pressure is the only way to make it happen," Bachenheimer said. However, she added, "There's not a piece of legislation that's going to be happening in the next three months [to tack the bill to]."
Bachenheimer said there are two possible fixes: an oxygen payment policy reform, which would be "patient-centric, related to patient needs" and is a long-term fix; and a legislative mandate, which would be a short-term fix.
Wayne Stanfield, president and CEO of the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers, said the industry must try everything it can to get the cap delayed.
"It's NAIMES' belief that every path should be followed," he said. "I think this is an important attempt to try and delay it. I certainly hope that [the letter] strikes a chord with someone in CMS who realizes that it is a problem."
