Editor's Note: The recent federal crackdown on power wheelchair fraud sparked an outpouring of response from many HomeCare readers. The following letters represent two perspectives on the issue.
Discovery of Fraud and Abuse an Achievement, Not an Embarrassment
In your Aug. 25 article (“PMC Commends Fraud Crackdown,” HomeCare Monday), the opening paragraph included the phrase “threatened to tarnish the HME industry's reputation at this critical juncture.” This [phrase] absolutely drives me crazy!
It is well known that fraud and abuse related to [power] wheelchairs and scooters is rampant in our industry. The problem is that we are not tough enough to police ourselves. The fact that we have to kowtow to legislative efforts to rein in Med i-care costs at this time by making concessions in reimbursement is ridiculous. The clear and plain fact is that if the fraud and abuse of this and other areas of our industry were corrected, there would be no need for the involvement of Congress.
Why would we be embarrassed by the discovery [of the Houston fraud and abuse scheme]? We should go to Congress with all of this and prove our case that our system and our industry are not flawed; rather, it is the abuse in the industry that creates the problem. Correcting this would be a win for the legitimate dealer, a win for the Medicare recipient and a win for the Medicare program!
Come on, people, let's get together and call it like it is.
— James H. Kempthorne, III, president, American Home Health Care Corp., Riverside, Calif.
Fraud and Abuse Gives Industry a Black Eye
Doctors think because they write [a prescription] for a power wheelchair that it's a done deal, and patients get upset with us, saying that they have the prescription so we have to fill it. While we most often see a true need for the equipment, fighting with Medicare, getting the correct type of physician to fill out the CMN, etc., is simply too much of a headache.
Now to top it off, guys like those in Texas give the entire industry a black eye and a reason for the government to again point a finger at us. Nuts! My opinion: Hang these boys high.
— Bill Baker, president, Rx02 Inc., Tucson, Ariz.
55% of respondents to a HomeCare Web poll said they do not belong to any state or national HME association. Thirty-six percent are members of both a state and a national association, while 9 percent are members of a state association only. None was a member of only a national association.
E-mail your letters to Editor-in-Chief Gail Walker at gwalker@primediabusiness.com.
