Reimbursement

PSCs Publish FAQs on Power Mobility Devices, Repair & Replacement Issues: November 1, 2007; Two Program Safeguard Contractors have published frequently asked questions documents on power wheelchairs and scooters, and repair and replacement issues.

CMS Demonstration Project Hopes to Eliminate Fraudulent DMEPOS Activity: October 21, 2007

Positioning Update: October 21, 2007; Catching up on funding & educational progress, from tilt & recline to standing & elevation

Supplier Success Story: Service Is "The Heart of Our Business": October 21, 2007

Time for a Tuneup: Advice on Assessing Your Service & Repair Department: October 21, 2007

You Are What You Buy: How Your Initial Equipment Purchases Impact Your Service Department Later: October 21, 2007

CMS Seeks to Eliminate Medicaid Reimbursement for Administration Expenses to Transport Kids to School: October 1, 2007

Tracking the Storm: CMS, Commodities Prices, Competitive Bidding & the Impact on Power Chairs: September 1, 2007; While competitive bidding is understandably getting most of the immediate attention in the mobility and rehab markets these days, the power chair niche has additional storm fronts to watch. Industry insiders questioned about power chair hot spots mentioned everything from endangered client access and documentation concerns to a an evolving global commodities market.

CMS Publishes Proposed Rule, Seeks Comments on Surety Bonds for DMEPOS Suppliers: September 1, 2007; The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is inviting comments on its proposed rule that would require DMEPOS suppliers to provide surety bonds to CMS.

Q&A with Dr. Rory Cooper: September 1, 2007; He has devoted his career to advancing assistive technology, and this month was presented the da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award by the Michigan chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In an interview following this latest recognition, MM asked Dr. Rory Cooper — who professionally splits his time between the University of Pittsburgh and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories — about the current state of assistive technology and power wheelchairs in particular.

TriCenturion Publishes Power Wheelchair FAQs: September 1, 2007; Physical therapy assistants (PTAs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) who have earned their Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) credentials are NOT qualified to perform the rehab seating & mobility evaluations that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will require starting April 1, 2008 — this according to a new FAQ document posted to the TriCenturion Web site.

What’s New with Medicare & Medicaid: August 1, 2007; Last month, the big news was the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to give DME suppliers in the initial competitive bidding areas one more week to submit their bids (as of press time, CMS said the new July 20 deadline was firm, despite acknowledging that significant numbers of suppliers were having difficulty working with CMS’ computer system). But in other Medicare/Medicaid happenings…