ESRD Final Rule Sets Medicare Back 25 Years

AAHomecare (AAH) recently submitted a letter written by its Regulatory Council to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner commenting on the recent final end-stage renal disease (ESRD) rule. The rule moved many items from the inexpensive and routinely purchased category to the capped rental category. The majority of the moved items were components for power wheelchairs. “The shift to capped rental from routinely purchased for this equipment sets the Medicare program back 25 years and hurts access for Medicare beneficiaries,” said Asela Cuervo, a prominent health care attorney and member of AAHomecare’s Regulatory Council. “Congress never intended for the Medicare program to be frozen in time.” In the letter, AAHomecare asked for an implementation delay because many of these same items are also in Round 1 Recompete and Round 2 bidding areas, and the Medicare administrative contractors are having a difficult time determining how to pay claims for them. In addition, the AAH challenged CMS’s use of the inexpensive and routinely purchased definition to determine what category items can be classified in. For more information, contact AAHomecare’s Kim Brummett at (202) 372-0750.