In The News
OXYGEN TEMPLATE: CQRC ENLISTS CONGRESS
HME News Staff Updated 10:20 AM CDT, Tue September 12, 2023 WASHINGTON – Fourteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to CMS urging the agency to clarify Medicare documentation requirements for supplemental oxygen and adopt a standardized template for documenting patient need, according to the Council for Quality Respiratory Care. “We write…
Read MoreCMS Focuses DME Reviews On Post-PHE Claims, Keeps Modifier
By Michelle M. Stein DME Medicare Administrative Contractors recently agreed to let durable medical equipment suppliers continue to note which claims started during the COVID-19 pandemic after the public health emergency ends May 11, after suppliers raised concerns that contractors wouldn’t be able to tell when claims initially started — and under which set of…
Read MoreWe should keep Medicare COVID policies that improved patient care | Opinion
By Steve Griggs The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) poses a slew of questions for patients and health care providers alike, particularly in the field of home respiratory therapy, which cares for millions of Americans living with respiratory diseases. In Pennsylvania alone, for example, there are 725,000 people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary…
Read MoreOp-Ed: As COVID emergency ends, don’t lose sight of what worked
Supplemental oxygen therapy patients and providers in North Carolina and throughout the country are anxiously awaiting guidance and action from the federal Medicare program as the Public Health Emergency (PHE) connected to the COVID-19 pandemic is set to end on May 11. This includes the more than 525,000 North Carolinians living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary…
Read MorePreserve Access to Home Oxygen Therapy Post-Pandemic
CMS should honor its commitment to Medicare beneficiaries, especially those who began home respiratory therapy under the PHE, without requiring them to “restart” the documentation process. Requiring requalification would also be a nightmare for physicians who are already overwhelmed with patient demands. The Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) was always bound to conclude. The important…
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