Take the Next Step in Becoming an Advocate for Better HME Public Policy

Advocacy efforts are ramping up for the 117th Congress as the AAHomecare and other leading HME stakeholders are working with our champions on Capitol Hill and key committees of jurisdictions to develop plans to address major industry priorities, including sustainable Medicare reimbursement policy. Complementing our work in the House and Senate, the Grassroots Accountability Project (GAP) is a vehicle for the HME Industry...

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AAHomecare Weighs in on Continuity of Care for Medically Fragile Children in Texas 

AAHomecare has asked the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to implement processes to ensure that medically fragile children covered under the state’s Star Kids program can continue to be served by their current DMEPOS supplier if a change in providers is deemed to potentially subject the patient to unnecessary risk.

The current Star Kids contract with the state allows primary...

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AAHomecare Offers Resources to Help Share Value of HME

AAHomecare is adding additional resources as part of its ongoing effort to ensure that the HME Industry’s work in communities across America is understood and appreciated. Through the Payer Relations Council’s focus on sharing the Value of HME, AAHomecare has curated resources that highlight the major role providers and manufacturers play in ensuring high quality care, including one specific to our industry’s efforts during...

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Share Your Story on Braving Winter Storms for Patient Care

As winter storms surge across the country, the HME community is no stranger to braving the elements in the name of patient care to provide vital equipment and services.   However, payers, legislators, and governmental agencies often fail to recognize the critical service component of HME providers as partners in the care continuum.  Through programs like Competitive Bidding, the HME Industry has experienced a 40% decline...

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Unified Program Integrity Contractors – An Overview

by Wayne van Halem, founder and President of the van Halem Group

Atlanta, GA - Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs) have been around now since 2016. These audit contractors are tasked with identifying and preventing fraud, waste and abuse. Unfortunately, what we often see are auditors identifying claim errors and overpayments versus identifying actual fraudulent activity.  The original UPIC contracts were valued...

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AAHomecare Recognizes 3 Key Staff with Promotions

In recognition of their dedication and knowledgeable contributions to our membership, AAHomecare staff David Chandler, Ashley Plauché, and Mina Uehara received promotions within the Association.

Chandler will now serve as the Senior Director of Payer Relations. Since joining AAHomecare in 2019, he has been instrumental in expanding the reach of our Payer Relations team and providing significant support to...

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Please ask Senators and House members to support extension of the moratorium on the 2% Medicare cuts until the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).   

Your message in support of H.R. 315, the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, can be as simple as the ones shown below: (please note slightly different versions for House and Senate members).  You can also add any details on the additional operational/safety requirements and costs your company is facing in serving...

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AAHomecare Joins Coalition Effort to Extend CARES Act Medicare Relief Suppliers Encouraged to Reinforce Message on Capitol Hill

AAHomecare has joined a coalition of 34 major healthcare groups asking Congress to extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare “sequestration” cuts through the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).  Congress paused these cuts as part of broad-based COVID-19 relief granted in the CARES Act in March, but only through December 2020.

In...

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CMS Removes Most Product Categories from CB Round 2021 and Publishes DMEPOS Proposed Rule

Tuesday evening, CMS announced that there will be no Round 2021 competitive bidding contracts awarded for product categories bid in this round, with the exception of Off-The-Shelf (OTS) Back Braces and OTS Knee Braces. Winning bidders for OTS back and knee braces will have until Nov. 10 to respond to the contract offer(s). See CMS' announcement on this significant Round 2021 change for...

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41 House Members Ask CMS to Exclude CRT Accessories from Bidding-Derived Pricing

Strong advocacy efforts by mobility providers helped convince 41 members of the House of Representatives to join a Congressional sign-on letter asking CMS to permanently exclude manual CRT accessories from bidding-derived pricing.

The letter, spearheaded by long-time CRT champions John Larson (D-Conn.) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y) states that Congress has previously passed language with clear intent that power...

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