Save Homecare Now

ATLANTA — "I have never seen any situation that we have experienced that even remotely resembles how dire the situation is right now." Those are the words of Dave McCausland, senior vice president of planning and government affairs for The Roho Group, Belleville, Ill.

McCausland, who has been in the home medical industry for more than 30 years, said Friday the future has never looked as bleak to him as it does now.

"It is not just one thing. One issue is compounded against one thing and then another," McCausland said, noting particularly competitive bidding, invasive numbers of Medicare audits that have staunched the cash flow of thousands of providers and a host of other government-issue mandates that are all but strangling HME businesses.

And that is exactly why McCausland wrote a letter urging both beneficiaries and colleagues to support the American Association for Homecare's "Save Homecare Now" campaign. The project offers an easy way for everyone involved in HME to contact legislators and raise their voices in support of home care.

"We are looking for 'super advocates' to get the message out and encourage colleagues and others that they know to save home care now," said AAHomecare's Tilly Gambill, manager, marketing and communications, of the effort. The hope is that those advocates will encourage 20 others to voice their support of the industry.

"This is really a grassroots effort in getting people involved in saving home care and making a point to contact their members of Congress," Gambill continued. "This campaign is really geared toward everyone — all HME stakeholders, providers, manufacturers, beneficiaries, caregivers, therapists, clinicians, anyone who is interested in the future of home care."

Stakeholders can connect with legislators through the campaign's "Take Action" center at capwiz.com@aahomecare/mlm/signup.

Randy Wolfe of Lambert's Health Care in Knoxville, Tenn., one of the early champions of the idea, said the super advocates "are going to be sort of the teachers and communicators and recruiters. We're trying to find people with communication skills and a passion who can take on the network building.

"I think that, really long term, we could have 100,000 people in our network that really understand what we are all about," he said. "That's when things turn. You can't go to Washington with 300 people [and expect things to change]."

McCausland was one of the first to respond.