WASHINGTON — HME provider Allcare Medical, Old Bridge, N.J., is on the roster to testify at Wednesday's House hearing on Medicare's DMEPOS competitive bidding program.
"This hearing will examine the conception and implementation of the competitive bidding program, the implementation of the Round One Re-Bid and its potential effects on patients, providers and physicians," according to a hearing notice.
Formally titled "Medicare's Competitive Bidding Program for Durable Medical Equipment: Implications for Quality, Cost and Access," the Sept. 15 hearing has been scheduled by the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., Health Subcommittee chairman, asked Allcare to testify, representing both the American Association for Homecare and the Jersey Association of Medical Equipment Services.
That's a beginning, insiders said Friday, but the industry will be up against some heavy government hitters. While the full list of witnesses at the hearing has not been released, a panel of government witnesses including officials from CMS is expected to defend the bidding program.
"I do think there are many members of Congress who truly want to understand how the bid program is going and how it will impact their constituents. The problem we have, though, is timing," said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare, referring to the fact that CMS has not yet revealed the names of Round 1 bid winners.
The agency has said it plans to release the list sometime this month, although some stakeholders believe that date could slip. With such a late time frame, advocates point out, the industry will have only a short time to respond before Congress adjourns for the November elections. What's more, that list will reveal only those bidders who have accepted contracts, not those whose bids were used to formulate the single payment amounts.
"This hearing is not timed to provide anyone with a good picture of what will happen," Bachenheimer said. "Until we know who the actual contractors are, we don't have any data to tell our story. CMS will have the upper hand because they can say they are saving 32 percent, etc.
"CMS has quick and easy sound bites, when the entire story is far more complicated and hasn't fully unfolded yet."
Meanwhile, HME advocates supporting H.R. 3790, which would repeal the program, are making plans to pack the hearing room. The bill currently has 255 representatives signed on.
According to a Friday update from NCAMES, dozens of North Carolina HME owners from Charlotte (one of the nine MSAs included in Round 1 of the bid), Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh will be traveling to Washington to attend the hearing as well as an economic summit hosted by members of the state's congressional delegation.
The American Association for Homecare is also encouraging providers and patients to attend the hearing in person and to continue talking to members of Congress about the bidding program's flaws. The association's Friday newsletter asked HME stakeholders "to let committee members know about the effects competitive bidding will have on your patients and your business."
The association has added several new tools (available at www.aahomecare.org) to help explain the negative results the bid program will have, including talking points and an issue brief from a study focused on the patient impact of the bidding program. Produced by actuarial firm Dobson DaVanzo & Assoc., the study warns that the program may mean in fewer choices, reduced access to care and lower quality products for Medicare beneficiaries.
The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. AAHomecare said it will provide online and/or C-SPAN viewing information if it becomes available.
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