Page 10 - HME Business, October 2017

News / Trends / Analysis
Manual CRT Accessories Bill Hits the House
Legislation debuts with solid bipartisan support; providers urged to assist in bill’s advocacy push.
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Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and John Larson (D-Conn.) have introduced H.R. 3730 into the House, legislation to stop CMS from using competitive bidding-derived reimbursement
for accessories used with manual CRT wheel- chairs. The text of the bill is at bit.ly/2h59bxP.
The legislation was backed by a bipartisan crew
of lawmakers — 19 Republicans and 22 Democrats — who attached their names to the bill as original cosponsors. The list came after a concentrated advo- cacy effort to prime the nascent legislation during the August congressional recess. The full list of initial backers for the bill is available at bit.ly/2eMnNl2.
“This bill is needed to resolve the lingering issue of CMS applying competitive bid pricing to acces- sories used with CRT manual wheelchairs,” noted Don Clayback, executive director of the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART). “Unfortunately, a June policy change by CMS solved the problem for CRT power wheel- chairs but did not extend that same correction to CRT manual wheelchair accessories. People with disabilities who use a CRT manual wheelchair should have the same access to critical wheelchair compo- nents as those who use a CRT power wheelchair.”
“The determined advocacy of Congressmen Zeldin and Larson for maintaining patient access to accessories for CRT wheelchairs has played
a major role in raising the visibility of this issue
and paved the way for the much-needed regu- latory action on power CRT accessories in
June,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare. “Individuals with profound disabilities who depend on CRT products owe them a debt of gratitude for their determined efforts on their behalf.”
Both association leaders urged providers to
help lobby on behalf of the bill by urging their Representatives to cosponsor the legislation. To help in that effort, NCART posted a position paper at bit.ly/2x5rc8h and has updated the materials and tools at www.protectmymobility.org to facili- tate providers’ outreach to their Representative via tools such as a email and call links.
“... It’s important everyone now take the time
to reach out to their Representative and get them to sign as a cosponsor,” Clayback said. “The CRT community will need to work hard to be get this supported and passed. ... Remember, polite persistence is key to a successful outcome.” “AAHomecare looks forward to working with mobility providers, patient groups, and other stakeholders to build support for this legislation and ensure that the full range of CRT accessories remains available to patients and their caregivers,” Ryan said.
At press time, a Senate companion bill was expected. n
addition to submitting the narrative.
Additional points outlined in CMS’s Hurricane
Harvey guidelines (which apply to the expansion of the blanket waiver for the Hurricane Irma- affected areas):
• The replacement item must be furnished by a Medicare-enrolled supplier.
• If the beneficiary needs a piece of DME that falls under competitive bidding and they are
in a competitive bidding area, they must use a contract supplier.
• Providers with bid contracts may continue to subcontract with Medicare-enrolled providers without contracts per existing program regulations.
• The deadline to provide notification regarding any subcontracting arrangement has been extended from 10 days to 30 days.
AAHomecare also stated that CMS had informed it that the rental cycle will start over for capped rental items and oxygen equipment that are replaced
due to the
hurricane. The
association
added that it
would continue
working
with CMS to
streamline
procedures so
that providers
could more efficiently help patients in future emergencies.
More information is available from CMS at go.cms.gov/2y9PsEY. Providers with competitive bidding contracts that require assistance should call the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) customer service center at (877) 577-5331. n
CMS Gives HMEs, Patients Hit by
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma a Break
CMS releases guidance that it will replace lost, damaged and destroyed DME in areas affected by the two disastrous storms.
After back-to-back Hurricanes Harvey and Irma devastated parts of the Gulf coast, Southeast and Caribbean, CMS released a blanket waiver stating that it will replace DME that was lost or damaged during Hurricanes.
Fist applied to Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Harvey, the rider was then expanded to include patients in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of Puerto, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Under the waiver, the usual mandatory
face-to-face, physician’s order, and medical necessity documentation are not required to obtain the replacement items. However, HME providers must include a narrative description on the claim explaining the reason why the equipment must be replaced.
They must also maintain documentation indicating that the previous DME items was lost, destroyed, or irreparably damaged. And, the American Association for Homecare reported that providers must add a CR modifier to the claim, in
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