BALTIMORE - CMS officials went to Capitol Hill yesterday to sell members of Congress on the "improvements" they have made to the competitive bidding program, according to AAHomecare.
They also sketched out this timeline for Rounds 1 and 2 of the program, according to a participant, AAHomecare reported:
Round 1
- CMS will announce Round One "winners" in June 2010.
- New contracts and prices will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2011.
- CMS will hold a Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) meeting on March 17, 2010, "as mandated by law" to focus on the Round 1 transition period and show plans for beneficiary education, including where beneficiaries can go for services and what has changed for beneficiaries.
Round 2
- Round 2 of bidding must begin in 2011, according to the statute.
- CMS is extending review times due to the increase in MSAs--from areas in Round 1 to 79 areas in Round 2.
- Rule making: CMS expects that changes to the bidding program will require the agency to go through the rulemaking process. CMS anticipates that a proposed rule will be published in Summer 2011 with a final rule published in Fall 2010. The rule will include product categories and education requirements for Round 2.
- Winter 2010: CMS will announce the bid schedule and begin registration.
- Spring 2011: CMS will end registration and begin bidding.
- Summer 2011: CMS will end bidding and begin review process.
- Fall 2011: CMS will end review process, notify HME providers and begin evaluating bids.
- Spring 2012: CMS will announce "winning" providers and begin contract bids.
- Summer 2012: CMS will announce contract rates.
- Round 2 pricing will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
 

ROCKY HILL, Conn. - Therapists, clinical managers and even other complex rehab providers now have one place to go for education on all things seating and mobility.
ATG Rehab has developed a Web site, http://www.atgrehab.com/?page_id=1396, that lists not only the educational programs that it offers but also those offered by the University of Pittsburgh, and various industry manufacturers and consultants.
"It's what we call at the university a supercourse," said Mark Schmeler, an instructor in UPitt's Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, who helped develop the Web site. "Instead of searching multiple sites to get to the courses you want, you go to one portal."
The programs are organized by mode of delivery: online (courses, and live and interactive Webinars) or in-person (regional or on-site). Some programs are free; others, because they're for continuing education units (CEUs), are not.
ATG Rehab has offered educational programs to therapists for years, usually in conjunction with manufacturers, but it developed the Web site after hearing from therapists that they wanted more and they wanted it more conveniently.
"They'd say 'I'm too busy' or 'I can't go because my employer won't let me due to budget constraints,'" said Jerry Knight, ATG Rehab's president of western regional operations. "So we looked in the mirror and asked ourselves, 'We're trying, but what else could we be doing; what else should we be doing?'"
The Web site is another step toward ATG Rehab's goal of becoming the "go-to source" on complex rehab, Knight said.
"We want to continue to build linkages to other Web sites and other sources of information," he said.
In that vein, Schmeler says he envisions consumers also using the Web site.
"This is just another good step in the maturity of rehab technology," he said.
 

WASHINGTON - The HME providers who pounded the marble halls of Capitol Hill last week must have made quite an impression. H.R. 3790, the bill to repeal national competitive bidding, has picked up 13 new co-sponsors for a total of 163.
"The providers that aren't here owe a debt of gratitude to their colleagues," said Tyler Wilson, president and CEO of AAHomecare, at the association's Washington Legislative Conference last week. "Those who push aside work and money concerns to come to D.C. realize it's a matter of survival. Coming to Capitol Hill to push our cause is part of what they have to do."
Nearly 300 providers spent last Wednesday calling on lawmakers to talk up a range of issues from preserving the first month purchase option for power wheelchairs to repealing the 36-month cap on oxygen.
The biggest priority, however, remains repealing competitive bidding.
"Members are aware there has been a hiccup in the rollout of competitive bidding," Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., told attendees. "One school of thought is that the issues have been resolved. You have to talk about the impact the program will make in the member's district, not just the impact on your business."
During an attendee luncheon last Tuesday, it became alarmingly clear that CMS thinks the issues have been resolved.
"We take the PAOC very seriously and we've learned from the past," Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare Management, told the crowd. "The online bidding system is smoother, and we are not aware of any significant concerns."
That's all well and good, but you're missing the point, providers told Blum. John Shirvinsky, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers, summed it up this way: "No matter how hard you guys work, it's a fundamentally flawed program. This is going into the market, weaning the players and hoping that the chips fall where they may and everybody is served."
The timing of last week's event was serendipitous. Last Wednesday, healthcare reform, which in recent weeks had been on the backburner, was in the spotlight again as President Obama called on lawmakers to cast a final vote on legislation.
"A period of unprecedented national debate is occurring," said Wilson. "Health care is at a crossroads, and we are well positioned to get our issues out front and center."