10/24/2016

PFQC Report 40% of Medicare Beneficiaries Having to Pay Out of Pocket for HME Per Patient Hotline

People for Quality Care (P4QC) reported this week that they have seen an uptick in the number of callers having difficulty getting needed home medical equipment, services, and supplies. “40% of our calls are from patients and family caregivers who are now being asked to pay out of pocket for their home medical equipment that should be covered by Medicare,” reports Kelly Turner, director of advocacy for People for Quality Care. “Many patients don’t have the financial capacity to take on this additional cost, yet the companies who serve them are operating in the red with Medicare’s current reimbursement.  Both sides are being squeezed.  It’s a no-win system.” This is, in part, due to the increasing number of HME’s that are now filing Medicare claims non-assigned, P4QC believes.

OAMES continues to work with AAHomecare, P4QC and other industry advocates to share the effects of the rural rate expansion who is hitting beneficiaries and providers especially hard given the severe reductions.  Companies are reporting that this reduction to the operating revenue cause delays in patients getting equipment, further reducing the amount of deliveries that they can handle and all but eliminating any free services provided to the patients.

You can make a difference. Join the dozens of other HME companies who have shared their stories with legislators and the media, providing undeniable real world examples of how problematic the competitive bidding expansion is and driving support for bidding relief legislation in the lame duck Congressional session. 

Suppliers now have an easy way to log the changes their company has made as a result of the 7/1 reimbursement cuts with a simple and secure online form, available here.  

You can select whether you want your story to be shared with the Hill, used in public outreach, and/or both.  All information will be kept confidential and only shared with those you give us permission to share it with. For more information about how your story helps make a difference, please contact Tilly Gambill at tillyg@aahomecare.org.