viernes, 10 de mayo de 2013

Physicians, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/ODF_pnahp.html

Information You Need: New Medicare Equipment and Supplies Program In Your Community

If you help people with Original Medicare get certain durable medical equipment and supplies, such as oxygen, walkers, or wheelchairs, you should know about a Medicare program, called the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program, that saves money for taxpayers and people with Medicare and may change the suppliers people with Medicare will need to use.

The first round of the program went into effect in nine areas of the country on January 1, 2011, reducing money spent for equipment included in the program by over 42 percent in its first year of operation while maintaining access to quality equipment and supplies. Now the program’s benefits are coming to people with Original Medicare near you, and there is some important information you need to know. Round 2 of the program is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2013, and expands it to 91 additional areas across the country. These areas can be found in the fact sheet at http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/Partnerships/Downloads/DMEPOSBeneFactSheetMarch2013.pdf.

When the program starts, people with Original Medicare who live in or travel to one of these areas and need the items listed below will likely need to get these items from contract suppliers if they want Medicare to help pay, unless their current suppliers decide to become grandfathered suppliers (non-contract suppliers that choose to continue to provide certain rented medical equipment or oxygen under the terms of the program).

So people will need to find out which suppliers are Medicare contract suppliers to make sure Medicare can help pay for their medical equipment or supplies. You can find out if a supplier is a contract supplier for the program by visiting http://www.medicare.gov/supplierdirectory/search.html or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

The 8 product categories that are included in Round 2 of the program are:

1. Oxygen, oxygen equipment, and supplies;

2. Standard (power and manual) wheelchairs, scooters, and related accessories;

3. Enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies;

4. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices, Respiratory Assist Devices (RADs) and related supplies and accessories;

5. Hospital beds and related accessories;

6. Walkers and related accessories;

7. Support surfaces (Group 2 mattresses and overlays); and

8. Negative Pressure Wound Therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories.

In addition to the categories of items listed, Medicare will be starting a national mail-order program for diabetic testing supplies at the same time as Round 2. The national mail-order program will include all parts of the United States, including the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. When the national mail-order program starts, people with Original Medicare will need to use a contract supplier for diabetic testing supplies delivered to their homes.

Starting May 13, 2013, Medicare is mailing information to people with Medicare in the 91 Round 2 areas who use the items included in the program, in addition to those who use diabetic testing supplies across the country. Approximately 5.7 million people with Medicare will get a letter and information. You can review the letters, introductory brochure, national mail-order program fact sheet and other program education materials by visiting http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/Partnerships/DMEPOS_Toolkit.html

If you help people with Original Medicare who live in or travel to one of the Round 2 areas and who need one of the items included in the program or who use diabetic testing supplies, please make this information available to them.

Physicians, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum

Overview:

The Physicians, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum (ODF) addresses the concerns and issues of Medicare and Medicaid physicians, non-physician practitioners, nurses, and other allied health care specialists. This diverse group of providers serves Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in almost all service settings, ranging from independent physician offices to specialized departments within larger facilities. The types of issues that come up during this forum are as varied as the providers who participate, but some frequent topics include the Physician Fee Schedule, Stark regulations, care plan oversight, payment and documentation rules, Provider Enrollment Chain Ownership System (PECOS), as well as the roles and responsibilities of different allied health professional staff under CMS regulations. Timely announcements and clarifications regarding important rulemaking, quality program initiatives, and other related areas are also included in the forums.
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If you help people with Original Medicare get certain durable medical equipment and supplies, such as oxygen, walkers, or wheelchairs, you should know about a Medicare program, called the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program, that saves money for taxpayers and people with Medicare and may change the suppliers people with Medicare will need to use. Please see the Downloads section below for the link titled: "Information You Need: New Medicare Equipment and Supplies Program In Your Community."
CMS Seeks Public Comment on Defining QIO Service Areas - Comments Accepted through Friday, May 31, 2013. Please see Downloads section below for full announcement.
CMS will host a National Provider Call on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, titled: National Physician Payment Transparency Program (Open Payments) - What You Need To Know. Please see Downloads section below for full announcement.
An updated agenda for the Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum is available in the Downloads section below. Thank you for your continued interest in the CMS Open Door Forums.
The next Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, 2013 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET. If you wish to participate, dial 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID: 78874311. Please see the Downloads section below for full participation instructions including the agenda. Thank you for your continued interest in the CMS Open Door Forums.
National Provider Calls: Medicare Shared Savings Program Application Process — Registration Now Open
Tuesday, April 9; 2:30-4pm ET — Preparing to Apply
Tuesday, April 23; 1:30-3pm ET — Tips on Completing a Successful Application. See Downloads section below for full announcement.
National Provider Call: Begin Transitioning to ICD-10 in 2013 — Registration Now Open
Thursday, April 18; 1:30-3pm ET. See Downloads section below for full announcement.
The CMS Innovation Center will be hosting a conference call on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm ET. CMS Innovation Center Director, Richard Gilfillan, MD, and Karen Murphy, RN, PhD, Director of the State Innovations Group, will provide an overview of the Model Testing, Pre-Testing and Model Design awards as well as additional information on how providers can participate in the State Innovation Models initiative. Please see the Downloads section below for the full announcement with participation instructions. Thank you.
The next Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2013 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET. If you wish to participate, dial 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID: 78871126. Please see the Downloads section below for full participation instructions including the agenda. Thank you for your continued interest in the CMS Open Door Forums.
The Durable Medical Equipment, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program will be changing how some Medicare patients get covered supplies. Be sure to give your Medicare patients the correct information. Please review (copy and paste the link into your web browser) the following link for information for people who refer Medicare beneficiaries for DMEPOS: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/index.html?redirect=/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/01_overview.asp.
CMS is providing an opportunity to preview the redesigned Physician Compare website prior to its release early this year. Please see the Downloads section below for further details. Thank you.
Please see the "New Electronic Mailing List to Keep Fee-For-Service Providers Informed" announcement in the Downloads section below.