Page 8 - HME Business, May 2017

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Industry Advocates
Meet with CMS’s Verma
AAHomecare staff, others to discuss competitive bidding fixes, rural relief with CMS leadership.
Leaders from the American Association for Homecare joined by other industry advocates recently met with CMS Administrator Seema Verma and additional CMS leadership and staff in April to discuss issues including competi- tive 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.
bidding program AAHomecare recently sent to HHS Secretary Price, which provided a good base- line for the discussions.”
The discussion also covered a longer-term
fix on complex rehab accessory reimburse- ment. 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 leader- ship at HHS and CMS understand industry concerns with the bidding program,” AAHomecare’s state- ment 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 individ- uals who depend on home medical equipment and related services.” n
The discussion included structural fixes for the next round of competitive bidding as well as the need for addi-
tional 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
Next Round of Audit Key
Submissions Underway
Tool helps industry collect audit data in order to help make its case for reforming CMS’s audit program.
After the Senate voted 55-43
to approve her appointment, Seema Verma was sworn in as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in March.
As the RAC audit program makes its return, the American Association for Homecare began taking submissions for the First Quarter 2017 HME Audit Key survey on April 17. Also, the installment is now easier for HME businesses using Brightree software.
The Audit Key program aims to help the industry better understand the impact of Medicare claims audits, and provide detailed information that helps make the industry’s legislative and regulatory case for reforming CMS’s audit program.
In addition to helping the industry make its case on Capitol Hill, the Audit Key program offers a business upside, according to AAHomecare. Individual suppliers can access to their own quar- terly survey numbers, as well as aggregate survey results and key findings in order to compare their audit volumes and appeal overturn rates against the aggregate findings in the report.
Also, HME businesses using Brightree LLC soft- ware can now print a report that will help answer many of the operational questions on the Audit Key survey, according to AAhomecare, which
will provide additional details on the new tool next week. The association noted its application for Brightree for its support in developing this resource to support the Audit Key.
Key things to keep in mind when signing up:
• Providers that did not participate in the earlier data submission rounds can can still take part in the Q4 survey.
• Suppliers can go to HMEAuditKey.org to register.
• Participation is free; all that is requires is an organization’s NPIs and respective five-digit zip code to register.
Also, the survey does not require providers
to share individual claims data. Instead, the survey seeks cumulative counts of pre- and post- payment audits and appeal claim outcomes under DME MAC, RAC and SMRC reviews. The program assures data security and does not share providers’ information. Provider data is only included in in aggregate data.
“For those of you who have not yet delved into the system, please be assured that the Audit Key does not require you to submit data on individual claims, but instead seeks cumulative counts of pre- and post-payment audits and appeal claim outcomes under DME MAC, RAC and SMRC reviews,” a statement from AAHomecare read.
For help with the Audit Key program, providers can fill out a support contact form at www.hmeauditkey.org/Home/Help, email support@HMEAuditKey.org, or call (844) HME-AKEY (844-463-2539).
For providers wanting to learn more about the return of the RAC program, make sure to sign up for HMEB’s “The RAC is Back! Are you ready?” webinar, which was presented by The van Halem Group’s Kelly Grahovac on April 27 and is now available as an on-demand webinar archive at hme-business.com/webinars. n
UPCOMING COVERAGE
More industry intelligence is available at hme-business.com.
Developing Stories — Watch HME-Business and subscribe to e-Source during May to see how the industry works with a more amenable HHS and CMS, as well as a more receptive Congress to secure reforms to policies such as competitive bidding.
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