We 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 Disease (COPD).
At the onset of the pandemic, Medicare worked to protect this vulnerable population by waiving a number of documentation requirements for home oxygen therapy providers. These decisions helped streamline access and ensure that patients who needed supplemental oxygen, sleep, and non-invasive ventilation therapies were able to receive treatments in the comfort and safety of their own homes – despite the challenges of reaching patients due to COVID-19.