In The News
CQRC 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
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 of supplemental…
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 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…
Read MoreIN BRIEF: SENATORS PUSH OXYGEN TEMPLATE, DME MACS PUBLISH SUPPLIES GUIDANCE
HME News Staff Updated 10:14 AM CST, Fri February 9, 2024 WASHINGTON – Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., urge CMS to adopt a standardized template instead of a medical record review to ensure access to supplemental oxygen for patients. In a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the senators state: “We ask…
Read MoreGROUPS PUSH FOR STANDARDIZED CLINICAL DATA ELEMENTS
HME News Staff Updated 10:18 AM CDT, Mon October 16, 2023 WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care recently joined five other respiratory care groups in sending a letter to CMS asking the agency to require Medicare contractors to use a standard clinical data element template for supplemental oxygen to ensure beneficiaries, prescribers and suppliers won’t…
Read MoreOXYGEN 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…
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