CareTouch

 
Including Infusion Therapy in the Round 1 Re-compete Could Affect Patient Care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was urged by home infusion stakeholders and the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) to rethink its plan to include certain home infusion therapies in the Competitive Bidding Program’s re-compete for Round 1 contracts. Stakeholders, who have [...]

 
FMCSA Withdraws Sleep Apnea Guidance
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) claimed that a “clerical error” has caused the accidental publication of its proposed medical guidance concerning sleep apnea testing for commercial drivers. In a written statement, the FMCSA announced that it is withdrawing the proposed regulatory guidance and that FMCSA anticipates requesting public comment [...]

 
Exploring the Sleep Resupply Business
The article explores strategies to help patients with compliance and effective treatment at the same time helping providers create new revenue streams. According to the author, a sleep “resupply” business is not just about a product and its periodic replacement from wear or expiration. If providers aim to make resupply a [...]

CMS’ Announcement of Round 1 Recompete
According to industry stakeholders, CMS made sure that everything was covered when it comes to products included in a Round 1 competitive bidding “recomplete.”
The Round 2 product categories comprised about 200 codes, while the Round 1 “recomplete” product categories have more than 300 codes. Despite this increase in the number [...]

 
Lobbying Difficulties Facing HME Providers
At the MedTrade Spring Conference and expo in Las Vegas, lobbyist and policy advisors Alex Vogel and Stacey Ramp from Mehlman Vogel and Castagnetti Inc., who spoke at the American’s Association for Homecare’s Washington Update,  stated that the coming elections will pose some stiff obstacles to advancing the industry’s aims.
According to [...]

 
CMS Projects Higher NCB Savings in Round 2 due to Expanded Program
A new report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that Round 1 of the national competitive bidding (NCB) program has saved $202 million in its first year, which indicated a 42 percent reduction in costs. Moreover, the agency believes [...]

 
Poll Shows How Providers Bid in Round 2
According to a recent HME NewsPoll, most providers who submitted in Round 2 stuck close to their areas. Although 81% of the poll respondents, only 40% said they had submitted bids in competitive bids areas (CBAs) that currently they are not serving. Provider Curtis Saxton, owner of Butte [...]

 
Relationship between Sleep Apnea and the Heart’s Functions
The article examines the relationship between OSA and heart functions.It shows the importance of compliance to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a mask worn at night to improve oxygen levels during sleep for persons suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
During sleep, the brain drifts into various levels of [...]

Electronic Clinical Template to be Released by CMS
CMS is warning providers who want to print a hard copy of the electronic clinical template and give it to physicians to fill out during the face-to-face exam. In an Open Door Forum on April 10, officials said they’re working to ensure that the template that will be [...]

MPP Discussed at MedTrade Spring
Competitive bidding program’s potential replacement, the market pricing program (MPP), was a hot topic at MedTrade Spring. In a release from MedTrade, Alex Vogel at AAHomecare’s Washington update told show attendees that the Supreme Court’s decision about the Affordable Care Act could give a chance for providers to push for the [...]