Funding


ATP Involvement Needed for K0005s Starting in March

Providers of ultralight chairs must comply for claims with dates of service on or after March 1, 2013.

Observation Deck:

Counting the Days

Based on CMS history, Round Two bid rates could likely be announced on Sept. 24.

Some Round 2 Providers Receive Urgent License Requests

Providers and mail order suppliers receive emails asking them to send specific materials by Aug. 17.

NGS Rescinds Aug. 8 Rental/Purchase Reminder

Article suggesting rental for consumables such as diabetic test strips retracted.

Funding Fundamentals:

The Surety Bond Ball and Chain

Medicare-required surety bonds currently held by providers could quickly become problematic if a provider happens to go out of business.

PMD Prior Authorization Demo Starts Sept. 1

Program will run for 3 years, impacting nearly 50 percent of Medicare’s power mobility beneficiaries.

White Paper Informs Senate of Major Flaws in CMS Audits

VGM, providers, law firm submit document that informs Finance Committee of key problems with audit structure and their solutions.

Linde AG Buys Lincare Holdings

$4.6 billion acquisition will expand German firm’s reach into homecare.

Lawmakers Push GAO to Examine CMS Audits

Leading Sens. and Reps. call for an examination into ‘duplicative efforts’ of Medicare audit contractors.

Overpayment Claims Jeopardize HMEs’ Surety Bonds

DME MACs making claims as small as $16, undermining bond underwriting.



Medicare Limits TENS Coverage for CLBP

CMS final decision says TENS units only covered for clinical studies.

Recurring, Refill Item Request Rules Changed

New rules for recurring supplies saddle providers with additional costs — after bids.

Congress Questions CMS on Audits

House subcommittee chair blasts CMS for ‘incompetence’ in audit oversight.

Near-term Health Spending Projected to Grow at 4%

U.S. healthcare spending won’t ramp up by a larger degree until ACA kicks into gear in 2014.

CMS Hosting Two Special Open Doors Forums

June 14 call addresses PMD electronic clinical template; June 28 call addresses PMD prior authorization program.

Medicare Audits

Building a Rapid Response System

How to minimize the impact of Medicare audits by implementing practices that will ensure claims pass muster, as well as help the organization rapidly respond to auditors' documentation requests.

Editor’s Note

Enough Is Enough

Medicare Audits

Building a Rapid Response System

How to minimize the impact of Medicare audits.

Software Audit Tools

The Right Tool for the Job

How to leverage HME software to respond to audits.

CMS Slates Next Open Door

July 11 session starts at 2 p.m. Eastern; will be conference call only.

HME Business Podcast