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McKesson Signs Five-Year VA Contract
McKesson Medical-Surgical Government Solutions LLC has been awarded a five-year U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Supply Schedule 65 II A contract for medical equipment and supplies. In a March 20 announcement, McKesson said the new contract “used by the VA and other federal agencies, affords greater access to McKesson-brand medical surgical supplies, such as respiratory accessories, disposable surgical instruments, hospital clothing, exam tables, adhesive bandages and hundreds of other products.”
Deborah Haywood, VP of Government Solutions at McKesson Medical-Surgical Government Solutions, added that the contract is “a critical milestone in McKesson’s effort to support federal agencies. It broadens our ability to demonstrate the positive impact McKesson’s products and capabilities can have on patients’ lives and further enables us to create cost efficiencies within the overall healthcare system.”
CMS to Start Voluntary Prior Authorizations for PMD Accessories
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is starting a voluntary prior-authorization process for power mobility device (PMD) accessory items. A March 16 notice from Noridian Healthcare Solutions, a Medicare Administrative Contractor, said, “PA [prior authorization] requests for applicable PMD accessories may be submitted for review on or after March 20, 2023, for dates of service on or after April 6, 2023.”
Qualifying PMD accessories include powered seating functions, such as tilt, recline, and elevating legrests; wheelchair trays; alternative driving controls; wheelchair seat cushions; wheelchair backrests; and armrests.