With political changes ahead, will providers breathe easier?
With the Tom Daschle as head of HHS and the formation of the White House Office of health Reform, will oxygen providers find relief in the new administration? Our experts were mostly uncertain about the changing of the guard:
Joseph Lewarski — “I don’t think anyone can accurately answer that question so early in the process. Clearly Mr. Daschle and the Democrats will bring a different philosophy to the office but I fear that nothing will change in Washington or with CMS until there is true recognition of the home oxygen therapy benefit as a critical drug therapy and medical benefit, not an equipment benefit. This has been a fundamental flaw in the system to date and must change in order for true reform of this benefit to occur.”
Bob Hoffman — “Tom Daschle has been supportive of many HME issues in the past but will most likely be too far removed from the specific issues to have a major impact. More importantly will be Obama’s and Daschle’s choice for the new administrator of CMS. Hopefully their choice will have a good understanding of the role the HME industry plays in servicing and caring for the homecare patient.”
Roger MacClellan — “Providers are hopeful that the new administration will at least create some change in policy that will allow the industry to sustain and beneficiaries to get services. Oxygen services are still the best ‘bang for your buck’ in healthcare, if there is a better value, please let me know. We are optimistic that the powers to be will take a long hard look at what we do and stop trying to pin the crimes of some criminals on the providers actually caring for over 1.5 million of the sickest Medicare homecare patients.”
This article originally appeared in the February 2009 issue of HME Business.