November Archives

VGM Government is always excited to feature our HME State Associations, who do so much to advocate and improve the HME industry. We recently chatted with the leaders of Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services & Supplies (MAMES), Rose Schafhauser, Executive Director, and
Jim Schafhauser, Executive Administration and Member Services, about the success of MAMES!

Yesterday, John Quinlan of Quinlan’s Pharmacy hosted an event with candidate Joe Sempolinski, who is running in New York’s 23rd district replacing Tom Reed, who is not seeking another term in 2022.

Quinlan and the group discussed DMEPOS concerns with the candidate, including the need to release the DMEPOS Final Rule and extend Cares Act reimbursement for non-rural and rural areas, and to establish new rates for competitive bid areas due to increase costs of equipment,...

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It has just been announced that OSHA is suspending enforcement on the vaccine mandate for employers with 100+ employees.

The suspension comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit fully blocked Biden’s executive order requiring companies with over 100 workers to mandate vaccination for their employees after temporarily stating it on November 12. The court ordered that OSHA “take no steps to implement or enforce” the vaccine mandate “until further...

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November 13th CMS announced that Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles will see the largest hike in the program's history next year.

Seven issues of concern…

The CMS rule boosts the standard Medicare Part B premium to $170.10 a month, up $21.60, or 14.5 percent. It also increased Part B standard deductibles by $30, up 14.8 percent to $233 in 2022
  The increase translates to nearly $14,000 in annual costs for the wealthiest senior couples.
  Despite...

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VGM recently received this question:

Is it possible to bill a Class II Medical Device (CPAP) to insurance without a 510(k) clearance?  In the context of the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and the Philips Respironics recall, we are looking at alternative vendors for our CPAP product line. The device in question has an emergency FDA authorization but has not received a 501(k) clearance at this time. The vendor has no realistic idea of the potential risk we may incur, and we are looking...

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The White House has issued new information to clarify two separate and distinct vaccine mandates that will impact several businesses throughout the U.S; namely 1) a vaccine mandate for staff at various healthcare provider settings and 2) a vaccine mandate for employers with 100 or more employees. The fact sheet for both mandates can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/04/fact-sheet-biden-administration-announces-details-of-two-major-vaccination-policies/.

Both...

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As you may recall, last month the White House administration announced a vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 employees, as well as a mandate on healthcare workers (HME suppliers included). We’ve been taking many questions from our members on this issue. Many are asking if this really take effect and what steps to be taking now.

So, will this really take effect?

According to this Forbes magazine article from October 29, there are currently approximately 10...

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