Alexandria, Va.
During the weeks since the Senate made public its Medicare-reform bill, members of the durable medical equipment industry have debated hotly a provision that would require all DME providers to become accredited within three years of the bill's passage. The American Association for Homecare has been vocal about other provisions of the Senate bill; however, until July 10, the association had not stated its position on the accreditation issue.
While some providers hailed the accreditation provision as one that would help the DME industry combat negative stereotypes, others complained that the provision would harm small companies. “The cost and man hours to prepare for a survey is prohibitive for most small independents,” D. Rexford Maxey, president of Penn-York Medical Supplies in Binghamton, N.Y., told HomeCare.
After considering these opinions and speaking with association members and board members, AAHomecare decided to support the Senate's DME accreditation requirements, with a few caveats.
“AAHomecare maintains that proposed legislation on the issue should account for the diverse nature of the DME industry by allowing for flexibility in the way DME providers comply with these requirements,” the association said, explaining that the legislation should complement the industry's own quality-control measures. Specifically, AAHomecare suggested the following revisions to the Senate's accreditation provision:
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The legislation should recognize accredited organizations as having met the federal accreditation guidelines, as long as the standards they met are at least as stringent as the federal guidelines.
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The legislation should allow specialty DME companies, such as rehab and assistive technology companies, to seek accreditation by organizations that offer standards specific to specialty areas.
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The federal government should collaborate with the DME industry when developing quality standards, and any advisory panel of experts should include DME industry professionals in all specialty areas.
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The legislation should include a five-year phase-in period — instead of a three-year period — to allow DME providers time to make the necessary operational changes and to allow accrediting organizations enough time to develop quality standards.
In other association news, President Kay Cox has decided to remove the password requirement from AAHomecare's Web site, temporarily, to allow all home care industry stakeholders access to Medicare-reform lobbying information.
Additionally, the association July 8 named Sue Mairena chief operating officer. Mairena, who has more than 20 years of financial and managerial experience, will oversee AAHomecare's human resources, accounting, monthly financials and yearly budget, the association said.
More information about the accreditation provision is available at www.aahomecare.org.
For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.
