Posts by schmidtpa
A Respiratory Therapist’s Plea: Why It’s Time to Pass the SOAR Act
By Nancy Colletti | April 23, 2026 As a practicing respiratory therapist for over 40 years and a clinical educator for the past 20 years, I have spent countless hours training patients how to manage their supplemental oxygen usage and devices. I’ve also been a caregiver to my father, who has been on medical oxygen…
Read MoreCQRC, INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS SEEK CLARIFICATIONS ON VENT POLICY
WASHINGTON, DC – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) joined stakeholder groups in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) urgently calling for clarifying guidance for the continuing use criteria for both home mechanical ventilators (HMV) and respiratory assist devices (RAD) used by Medicare beneficiaries with chronic respiratory conditions. April 2026 is the month in…
Read MoreCQRC Joins Coalition of Stakeholders Urging CMS to Clarify Guidance on Continuing Use Criteria for HMV and RAD Equipment
With deadline looming, groups urgently request clarification on the National Coverage Decision (NCD), citing risks to patients’ access to respiratory equipment WASHINGTON, DC –The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) today joined four stakeholder groups in sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) urgently calling for clarifying guidance for the continuing…
Read MoreIn Response to CRUSH Initiative, CQRC Offers Concrete Solutions to Preserve Program Integrity and Protect Patient Access
The CQRC submitted comments to CMS’s Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) initiative, proposing opportunities to eliminate fraud and waste WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) submitted formal comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Request for Information (RFI) on the Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare…
Read MoreCQRC Sees Momentum on SOAR Act as Engagement Deepens
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) is confident that it can work with lawmakers and regulators on its top priorities for 2026, including passage of the SOAR Act, says Chair Robin Menchen, who is also president and CEO of Rotech Healthcare. SOAR Act gains traction The legislation, introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in April 2025,…
Read MoreCQRC: Medicare’s Oxygen E-Template Offers Available Solutions to Combat Fraud & Abuse
As E&C lawmakers examine policies to detect, prevent, and fight fraud impacting Medicare beneficiaries, CQRC calls for immediate adoption of the oxygen template for e-prescribing. WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) commends the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, including E&C Chair Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and Subcommittee Chair John Joyce,…
Read MoreSupplemental oxygen patients need SOAR Act protections
You never think much about your ability to breathe until you can’t. For those of us needing medical assistance from supplemental oxygen, it’s always top of mind. And despite the urgency of need for oxygen users across the country, access to care is not always easy. Living with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) – a disorder…
Read MoreCommentary: Individuals struggling for oxygen need Congress to step up
I have hiked dozens of 14,000-foot peaks and completed nearly 800 deep-sea dives, so I am not averse to a challenge. Now living with a chronic lung disease, I face my biggest challenge yet: accessing the most basic human necessity, oxygen. Shortly after moving to Newport in 2015, I noticed that hikes became more physically…
Read MoreCongress Must Work to Strengthen Medicare Access to Lifesaving Oxygen
When our son came home from the NICU, he used supplemental medical oxygen at home. My wife and I saw up close that the right oxygen, delivered the right way, doesn’t just help a child breathe—it lets a family breathe easier, too. That experience turned a policy debate into something personal. Nationwide, more than 1.5…
Read MoreCQRC Commends House E&C Health Subcommittee for Highlighting Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform Act at Jan. 8 Hearing
E&C lawmakers set to examine policies for improving Medicare payment and access for American seniors includes bipartisan bill to reform the program’s oxygen benefit. WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) commends the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, including House E&C Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health…
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