In The News
CQRC PUSHES SOAR ACT AS PART OF HEARING
HME News Staff Updated 9:22 AM CDT, Mon April 29, 2024 WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care submitted a statement highlighting the need for Medcare to standardize the process for determining medical necessity for home oxygen therapy as part of a recent congressional hearing on “Examining How Improper Payments Cost Taxpayers Billions and Weaken Medicare…
Read MoreCQRC Urges Medicare to Streamline and Standardize the Process for Demonstrating Patients’ Need for Supplemental Oxygen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2024 CQRC Urges Medicare to Streamline and Standardize the Process for Demonstrating Patients’ Need for Supplemental Oxygen Submitting statement to a recent House hearing on improper payments, CQRC highlighted the need for Medicare to standardize the process for determining medical necessity in order to safeguard patients’ access to care…
Read MoreContributor: Profit Over People—Medicare Advantage Plans Are Denying Vital NIV Therapy Coverage
April 15, 2024 Jhon Vargas Opinion A longtime respiratory therapist calls for reform of Medicare Advantage in light of denials of coverage for patients who need non-invasive ventilation. Jhon Vargas | Image provided by author In my 25 years as a respiratory therapist, I have been proud to help seniors and people with disabilities get…
Read MoreCQRC LEADS WAY ON OXYGEN REFORM
Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor Updated 8:51 AM CDT, Fri April 12, 2024 WASHINGTON – The fact that the HME industry, physician groups and patient groups are all in alignment on what needs to be done to fix the Medicare oxygen benefit should help to propel a new bill forward, says Dan Starck, interim chair of…
Read MoreIndustry Voices—Congress must pass legislation to reform Medicare’s supplemental oxygen program
FIERCE Healthcare By Dan Starck Apr 3, 2024, 5:00 pm Nationwide, an estimated 1.5 million Americans rely on supplemental oxygen to help treat and manage a range of respiratory and pulmonary conditions and disorders, from severe asthma and pneumonia to sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. That’s why recent challenges in the availability and delivery…
Read MoreCongress Introduces SOAR Act to Improve Supplemental Oxygen Access
Mar 27, 2024 | Healthcare & Policy | The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform Act (SOAR) of 2024, designed to ease access to supplemental oxygen for Medicare beneficiaries, was introduced in the US House of Representatives by a bipartisan group of members of Congress. The legislation, introduced by Representatives David Valadao (R-CA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Adrian Smith (R-NE),…
Read MoreOXYGEN BILL INTRODUCED IN HOUSE
HME News Staff Updated 9:53 AM CDT, Mon April 1, 2024 WASHINGTON – A bill to reform the home oxygen therapy benefit has now also been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act, H.R. 7829, introduced by Reps. David Valadao, R-Calif.; Julia Brownley, D-Calif.; Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and…
Read MoreCQRC Commends Introduction of the SOAR Act in the U.S. House
MARCH 27, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) – a coalition of the nation’s leading home respiratory therapy providers and manufacturing companies – commends the introduction of the bipartisan Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act (H.R 7829) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by Representatives David Valadao (CA-22), Julia…
Read MoreCASSIDY, WARNER, KLOBUCHAR INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO CREATE EASIER ACCESS TO SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN FOR MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES
FEBRUARY 28, 2024 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced legislation to ease access to supplemental oxygen for Medicare beneficiaries. The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act of 2024 would establish a new payment methodology for non-liquid oxygen, allowing for most Medicare beneficiaries to be covered under the base payment levels. “Patients…
Read MoreOXYGEN REFORM BILL INTRODUCED IN SENATE
HME News Staff Updated 11:14 AM CST, Fri March 1, 2024 WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD., R-La., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have introduced legislation to ease access to supplemental oxygen for Medicare beneficiaries by, among other things, permanently extending blended payment rates. The Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act of 2024 would establish…
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