Page 12 - HME Business, October 2017

News / Trends / Analysis
AAHomecare Shows CMS Patient Access Survey Results Updated data collected by association shows increased difficulty in DME access.
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Various representatives from the American Association for Homecare recently met with CMS officials to share updated findings from its Patient Access Survey which demonstrated difficulties patients and other stakeholders are experiencing due to competitive bidding.
AAHomecare Chairman Steve Ackerman and President and CEO Tom Ryan were joined by Jay Witter, senior vice president of Public Policy for AAHomecare, and Kim Brummett, vice president of regulatory affairs for the association, to
present broader findings from the survey to CMS officials. Additionally, staff from Dobson DaVanzo, the research firm AAHomecare commissioned to conduct the survey, and counsel Foley & Hoag attended the meeting.
The survey collected perspectives from HME providers, Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers and hospital discharge planners and staff on how competitive bidding has impacted access to HME. That data is then used to shape bidding regulation and legislation.
“The findings presented to CMS show that respondents noted increased problems related to access and availability, increased patient
readmissions, delays of medically necessary equipment, and increased out-of-pocket expenses for beneficiaries in the current Medicare reimbursement environment,” a statement from AAHomecare read. “These sentiments were consistent for all three categories surveyed (Medicare beneficiaries, case managers/discharge planners, and HME suppliers).”
This isn’t the first time CMS had seen the survey. After being shown initial data, CMS
told AAHomecare that it wanted to see a
larger volume of data. Fortunately, the survey received unexpectedly high response, which allowed AAHomecare to come back to the agency with more than 200 responses from beneficiaries, case managers and discharge planners.
“The terrific support from AAHomecare members and other stakeholders throughout
the HME community in publicizing the survey to patients and case managers has played a major role in the success of this campaign,” the AAHoemcare statement read. “We have had more than 300 case managers/discharge planners from 37 states take part in the survey, and have responses from more than 200 beneficiaries in 38 states.” n
CMS Drops a Sneak Peak of New Medicare Cards
New cards comply with laws requiring the replacement of Social Security Numbers with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers.
CMS has unveiled the design
for its new Medicare beneficiary cards, which takes the significant step of using new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) numbers on the cards.
To comply with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, CMS had to remove the social security number- derived Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. The cards now feature a unique, randomly-assigned MBI, instead.
As identity thieves target seniors in larger numbers, the new cards reflect effort to protect the identities of Medicare beneficiaries by removing key personal information such as
Social Security Numbers.
“The goal of the initiative to remove Social
Security numbers from Medicare cards is to
help prevent fraud, combat identify theft,
and safeguard taxpayer dollars,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We’re very excited to share the new design.”
CMS will begin mailing the new cards to beneficiaries in April 2018, but will implement a 21-month transition period during which doctors, healthcare providers, and suppliers can use either patients’ HICNs or MBIs.
Providers needing more information about the new Medicare Identification cards should visit www.cms.gov/newcard. n
The new Medicare cards aim to protect beneficiary’s information by removing any Social Security Number-derived information.
10 HMEBusiness | October 2017 | hme-business.com
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