The past 12 months have not been full of great news for the home health care industry. Not only did the Medicare prescription drug bill passed last fall contain competitive bidding and Part B drug reimbursement cuts, but at the 11th hour another provision—the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)-based cuts—added further reimbursement reductions for oxygen and some of the most popular categories of DME. And then, on the heels of this bad news, came the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “Operation Wheeler Dealer” plan to crack down on fraudulent power wheelchair billing. It included, among other things, a reimbursement policy “clarification” that left providers more uncertain than ever about which patients were truly qualified for powered mobility.

But home health care is not an industry that is easily discouraged. Power wheelchair sales may have been down somewhat from where they normally should have been, but the halls of Medtrade Spring were 13% more crowded than the year before, and discussions at the show were more about ways to develop cash sales—as this month’s cover profile company, Total Health Solutions in Metairie, La, is doing—and increase lobbying clout than about how to exit the business.

The enthusiasm was contagious, and by the time I headed home from the show, I couldn’t help smiling. And I am sure that I am not alone in saying that that smile broke into a grin when I arrived home and heard that CMS had sent a memo to Congress saying it would rescind its unpopular power wheelchair reimbursement policy clarification.

It may have been a small victory—as this issue goes to press, we are not even certain if the rescinding will have any practical effect on actual reimbursement policy (see “Industry Unites and CMS Blinks” on page 26)—but it was a victory all the same and all the more sweet because it had been so long since the industry last received some good news.

Time will tell if this small win will turn the tide and inspire more providers, manufacturers, patients, and patient groups to join the fight for legislative and regulatory changes that help safeguard instead of harm Medicare beneficiaries’ right to receive appropriate home health care and equipment. However, this is a start.

“CMS did the right thing by rescinding what I call ‘the coverage restriction’ and they call ‘the clarification,’” says Cara Bachenheimer, vice president of government relations for Invacare Corp, Elyria, Ohio, in our special report. “But there are other things that need to happen to make sure that consumers who medically need a power wheelchair still have access to them.”

Sadly, for the first time in more than 3 years, I will not be here to see how this story turns out. My life and family are taking me in another direction, so starting with the next issue, Dealer/Provider magazine will have a new editor.

Greg Thompson
gthompson@medpubs.com

Fortunately, the magazine will be in great hands. Greg Thompson, the new editor, has been a friend and colleague of mine for many years and he has more than a decade of health care reporting experience. I am so pleased that at a time when staying on top of the latest legislative and regulatory news has become more important than ever, the magazine will be under the direction of a first-rate editor eager to make this publication even better than it is today.

Good-bye, good luck, and keep fighting.