GAO Releases Round 1 Rebid Report

The second major government report on the Round 1 Rebid to be issued was released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office. The report acknowledges that both beneficiary utilization and numbers of providers are down in bid areas. According to the report, in general, the number of beneficiaries being furnished with DME dropped more in the bidding areas than in the non-bidding areas they were compared to. Yet, CMS does not believe that beneficiaries experienced any access issues. AAHomecare firmly rejects CMS' conclusion because there have been too many stories from providers, case managers, social workers, discharge planners and even beneficiaries themselves. Interestingly, the report notes that the numbers of providers choosing to grandfather beneficiaries dropped to such a low number that CMS stopped tracking it. In addition, no new subcontract providers were reported in all of 2012 and in the first three months of 2013. These two facts also point to access problems for beneficiaries. The report noted that serious problems exist for beneficiaries who have equipment they received from The SCOOTER Store. AAHomecare has been working with CMS to resolve the many issues related to repairs and replacement of equipment from providers who have gone out of business. AAHomecare will review the report in detail and provide additional information. Click here to read the full text of the report.