Leaders from the American Association for Homecare joined by other industry advocates met with CMS Administrator Seema Verma and additional CMS leadership and staff this Tuesday to discuss issues including competitive bidding reform and rural relief.
Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare; Jay Witter, senior vice president of public policy for AAHomecare; Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare Corp.; and Thomas Barker, an attorney working with AAHomecare, met with Verma, as well as Deputy Administrator Demetrios Kouzoukas and several additional HHS and CMS staffers.
The discussion included structural fixes for the next round of competitive bidding as well as the need for additional reimbursement relief for providers serving rural areas. A statement from AAHomecare said that Verma demonstrated “impressive familiarity with HME industry concerns about the bidding program, and others in attendance were well-acquainted with the proposals in letters regarding the bidding program AAHomecare recently sent to HHS Secretary Price, which provided a good baseline for the discussions.”
The discussion also covered a longer-term fix on complex rehab accessory reimbursement. As well as the “double dip” stationary O2 cuts. AAHomecare’s statement noted that staff requested additional information on those issues.
“We believe both the tone and substance of the discussion in this meeting shows that the new leadership at HHS and CMS understand industry concerns with the bidding program,” AAHomecare’s statement read. “In particular, we’re encouraged by Administrator Verma and her colleagues expressing their interest in working with us to come up with solutions on these issues that will allow us to continue to meet the needs of the millions of individuals who depend on home medical equipment and related services.”