American Association for Home Care letter re Round 21 “We also need CMS to suspend adding non-invasive ventilators from Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program and to protect access to this critical therapy. It also needs to prioritize provisions of PPE for providers who are providing equipment and supplies to COVID-19 patients in their homes,” Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare, told me. He added that CMS should allow coverage for short-term-use oxygen patients who will need to be treated with oxygen after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Then, AAHomecare’s regulatory staff and its Regulatory Council developed a list of priority regulatory issues and questions, according to Kim Brummett, vice president of Regulatory Affairs for the association. Those items were put into a lengthy letter and sent to CMS this week. At the top of the list: a one-year delay of competitive bidding Round 2021 implementation so that HME businesses can provide ready access to patients needing home oxygen therapy devices and services, as well as home ventilators.
https://hme-business.com/articles/2020/03/19/ednote.aspx?admgarea=mag+&m=1
https://hme-business.com/articles/2020/03/19/aahomecarecovid19.aspx