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Posted On: August 4, 2021 by VGM Government Relations in: COVID-19, General
The SBA has now opened both the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance and the Supplemental Targeted Advance grants to all eligible business types. Forgivable grants of up to $10,000 were available for a time during 2020 to all businesses....
August 4, 2021
The SBA has now opened both the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance and the Supplemental Targeted Advance grants to all eligible business types. Forgivable grants of up to $10,000 were available for a time during 2020 to all businesses. Later, the Targeted EIDL was available to only agricultural businesses. Now all business types can apply if they have not yet done so, but they have to meet certain criteria in order to qualify. Those criteria are as follows:
The...
August 2, 2021
Categories: General
You have seen them driving through the commercial district of your town. “Help wanted” signs are on almost every business’s door. In multiple congressional meetings, we have had HME providers express the difficulty of retaining employees. The labor shortage is real and actively affecting HME providers.
We have put together a nine-question survey seeking to understand the effects of the labor shortage on the HME industry. This survey will provide an additional lens to...
August 2, 2021
Categories: General
Senate bill S. 2556, the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act, was introduced on Friday, July 30. This bill is being led by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Steve Daines (R-MT). Additional original co-sponsors include Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and John Cornyn (R-TX). This is a companion bill to H.R. 1990.
The bill would accomplish four key priorities for the orthotic and prosthetic profession. It would:
Distinguish durable...July 29, 2021
Categories: Competitive Bidding, General
CMS announced today that manual wheelchair accessories will be permanently exempt from future competitive bidding programs.
As printed in the CMS fact sheet:
“CMS is finalizing an exclusion from fee schedule adjustments based on information from the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) for wheelchair accessories (including seating systems) and seat and back cushions furnished in connection with group 3 or higher complex rehabilitative power wheelchairs. We are also...
July 29, 2021
Categories: General, PHE, Reimbursement
The August recess is the is the perfect opportunity to get face to face with your member of Congress. This year, the recess begins August 2 and ends on September 10. It’s important to build/maintain these relationships so HME legislation can move more efficiently through governments at both levels.
Here is John Gallagher of VGM’s Government Relations team talking about the importance of the August Recess.
Click here for the...
July 21, 2021
Categories: General
VGM recognizes the impact that the current shortage of CPAP/RAD machines is having on your business and the DME industry as a whole. Until Philips Respironics receives approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regarding:
1) the process that will be used to repair and replace devices impacted by the recall and
2) the use of an alternative sound abatement foam in their devices,
they cannot offer any new...
July 19, 2021
On Monday, July 19, 2021, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced an extension of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). This extension will last another 90 days from July 20, 2021. The COVID-19 PHE was initially declared on January 31, 2020 (with acknowledgement that it has existed since January 27th). Any PHE declaration can only last for 90 days at a time, but can be extended or renewed. It has already been renewed multiple times. There are several provisions tied to the duration of...
July 15, 2021
Categories: General, PHE, Reimbursement, State Associations
Every year, members of Congress take the end of summer to spend time in their state/districts to hear from their constituent base. This year, the August recess begins August 2 and ends on September 10. Now is the time to reach out to your members of Congress at both the state and federal level to schedule a meeting during the August break. It’s important to build these relationships so HME legislation can move more efficiently through both levels of government.
VGM...
July 12, 2021
Categories: General, State Associations
Our HME State Associations do so much to advocate and improve the HME industry. We are excited to feature one of our dedicated state associations in this spotlight!
We are now through the middle of the summer, and we are proud to feature TexMEP as a spotlight HME state association. TexMEP has been very active these past few months. We’re hoping this article will provide you with some inspiration leading into the August recess efforts.
The...
July 9, 2021
Since the HHS Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reporting portal opened on July 1, 2021, HHS has released some updated guidance and two important supporting documents to assist providers as they prepare to submit their reports on how they used the dollars they received. The first document is a 36-page data entry workbook, which walks providers through the various data points and fields that they will need to include in their reports. That workbook can be found here.
The workbook can also...
