Page 12 - HME Business, April 2017

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AAHomecare: Maintain the Advocacy Push
Despite having an industry champion heading up HHS, AAHomecare emphasizes to Medtrade Spring attendees the need for providers to keep telling their stories.
repeal of the Affordable Care Act, providers must stay engaged.
“We’re making advancements, but there are still folks in Baltimore that aren’t supportive,” Witter said. “... We need to continue to work with our members of Congress to ensure our messages and our needs don’t get lost.”
One of the best ways to do that is for providers to continue working AAHomecare and their state associations and sharing their experiences, Witter says, Doing so helps industry advocates and Secretary Price build a strong case on behalf of HME, because there are still people in CMS who think providers are overpaid, he pointed out.
“This is a different era,” Witter explained. “Usually I’m saying ‘Call your Congressman, or Congresswoman and demand action on this piece of legislation.’ What we’re asking for now is your continued stories. We need data to arm our friend [Price] against the arguments from the bureaucrats that continue to fight us.
“Legislators need to continue to hear that there are problems,” he continued. “We need to continue to put the pressure on them.”
Witter stressed that the upcoming May
24 to 25 Washington Legislative Conference (aahomecare.org) will most likely be the most important he has seen, because of the need to keep the heat on Congress.
“This is the time to increase the pressure, to increase your involvement,” he said. “We’re getting to the top, and there’s no letting off now.” n
During the Washington
Update from the American Association for Homecare, presented at Medtrade Spring, a call to action was abundantly clear: the job’s not done.
Despite the fact that onetime Congressional industry champion Tom Price is now Secretary
of HHS, and the legislative environment is more amenable to working with the industry, providers must continue supporting the industry’s advo- cacy efforts.
“So we’re going to work hard, and put our noses to the grindstone,” AAHomecare President and CEO Ryan said, speaking to conference attendees at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. “We can’t afford to waste the opportunity, and we can’t get there without your support.”
That support starts with providers continuing
to advocate on behalf their businesses, the industry and their patients. This is because, while the industry has a champion leading the nation’s healthcare agency, Secretary Price still must
make a convincing case to his own agency when advancing regulatory changes such as competitive bidding reforms or protections for complex rehab.
Jay Witter, senior vice president of Public Policy for AAHomecare noted that the work the industry
Jay Witter, senior vice president of Public Policy for AAHomecare urged the Washington Update audience to attend the May 24 to 25 Washington Legislative Conference (aahomecare.org)
in order to take advantage
of an amenable legislature. “This is the time to increase the pressure, to increase your involvement,” he said. “We’re getting to the top, and there’s no letting off now.”
has done to build Congressional rela- tionships has paid dividends. When providers offer to give their Representatives site tours or meet with them in district offices, that has created the kind of relationships that will now pay off in the current Congressional environment.
The fact that as
a lawmaker Price helped developed the CURES Act, and is now responsible
for its implementa- tion is case in point of how far the industry
has come, he noted. But Price must work within his agency, which has traditionally been hostile to the industry, and with a Congress often being distracted by larger healthcare issues, such as a
National CRT Conference Slated for April 26-27
Event will see complex rehab stakeholders lobby lawmakers and staff to protect CRT and accessories.
The National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology and the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers are hosting the National CRT Leadership and Advocacy Conference this month to help providers lobby on behalf of the new CRT legislation (see “CRT Legislation Reintroduced
in Both Chambers.”)
Slated for April 26 and 27, at the Hyatt
Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va, the event will give complex rehab technology stake- holders an opportunity to take their message
to Congress. In addition to advocacy work, the event will provide legislative updates, educational programs and networking opportunities.
A primary objective for the conference is to meet with members of Congress and push for passage of
legislation protecting CRT wheelchair accessories and establishing CRT as as separate benefit.
“We built good momentum last year thanks
to everyone’s efforts,” noted Don Clayback, executive director of NCART, in a public state- ment. “But we need to build on that with this year’s visits. The delay in payment cuts to CRT Wheelchair accessories expires on June 30 and we need a permanent fix.”
Aiming to increase attendance by focusing
on being budget and time friendly, NCART and NRRTS have compressed this year’s conference program into two days and reduced the registra- tion to $199.
A full conference flyer is available at bit.ly/2lR7uZ0. Highlights include:
• April 26, Leadership Day: The event features
CRT-focused presentations on topics such as healthcare reform, federal and state regula-
tory and legislative issues, and preparation for meetings with Congress members. The schedule of presentations runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
with a CRT United Reception running from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• April 27, Capitol Hill Day: Providers, manufac- turers, consumers and clinicians will make CRT’s case in person to lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., followed by a Debriefing running from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
NCART and NRRTS urged prospective attendees to sign up early while registration spots and hotel rooms are still available. More details and registration pages are available
at www.ncart.us and www.nrrts.org. n
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