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.

(April 8, 2014)—Today, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released its report on the bidding program’s Round 1 Rebid. The report is based on a random sampling of winning suppliers and single payment amounts (SPAs). Although OIG determined that CMS generally selected DME suppliers correctly, the report notes that the agency did make some mistakes.

WATERLOO, Iowa (March 31, 2014)—In response to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) request for public comment regarding the expansion for the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, VGM Group, Inc., asked medical equipment providers to fill out an online survey. To simplify the process of submitting public comment, the online survey developed by VGM asks the six questions that mirror those asked by CMS about the expansion of the competitive bidding program. From Feb.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (March 31, 2014)—SensorEdge, manufacturer of pressure mapping systems, is partnering with veteran medical manufacturer Blue Chip Medical Products in a strategic partnership to offer pressure mapping solutions that prevent costly pressure ulcers and increase patient comfort. In 2007, Medicare estimated one pressure ulcer presented an added cost of $43,000 to a hospital stay.