AAHomecare statement on the confirmation of Chiquita Brooks-Lasure as CMS Administrator.

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) congratulates Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on her confirmation as CMS Administrator. Her experience in roles at CMS, HHS, and on Capitol Hill provide a solid foundation for her work leading Federal healthcare programs that support the health and well-being of millions of individuals in every community in America.

AAHomecare and the home medical equipment (HME) community are especially eager to work with Administrator Brooks-LaSure to provide a meaningful update on Medicare reimbursement rates for HME to reflect increasing product costs and new operational requirements suppliers currently face. We urge the Administrator to address this issue through the pending DME Rule and expedite release for this important regulation.

HME suppliers have played a critical role in meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing effective, home-based care under extraordinary circumstances, reducing the stress on over-burdened hospitals and clinicians, and directly supporting patients with severe respiratory conditions related to the coronavirus. We look forward to partnering with Administrator Brooks-LaSure and her colleagues at CMS to make sure the HME industry will continue to provide cost-effective and clinically proven products and services that allow millions of Americans to remain in their homes and take part in their communities.

Contact: Gordon Barnes - gordonb@aahomecare.org