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GOP leader urges change in Medicare home oxygen payments
RT for Decision Makers in Respiratory Care
WASHINGTON—Citing lack of payments for maintenance and services post-36 months, House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, along with more than 100 members of the House, authored a letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider policies governing Medicare’s payment of emergency services, supplies, and other obligations after 36 months of service.
“Not only does this policy potentially harm the current care that many Medicare beneficiaries are receiving, but oxygen providers may be forced to make difficult decisions and reduce services that these beneficiaries and their physicians traditionally rely upon,” said Boehner.
Beginning Jan. 1 this year, Congress changed Medicare policy to require oxygen companies to provide, without any payment, unscheduled service and maintenance visits, 24-hour emergency care, equipment repairs, and oxygen supplies for two years following the 36-month rental cap. The CMS policies also require the original oxygen provider to ensure the provision of these services even when a beneficiary moves to a part of the country where the provider does not operate.
