Making the Case on Capitol Hill
- Joel D. Marx
WASHINGTON, DC - Competitive bidding radically reduces the number of providers, thereby creating oligopolies in the marketplace at a time when our senior population is growing rapidly. more »

Share the Bad News
WASHINGTON, DC - If you know of HME companies in round one areas that have gone out of business, let AAHomecare and VGM know about it. more »

GAO Calls Round One “Generally Successful”
WASHINGTON, DC - 
A 74-page report report released by GAO also concedes that it's "still too soon" to know full effects" of round one rebid. more »

NCPA Disputes Report on Questionable Medicare Pharmacy Billing
ALEXANDRIA, VA - Pharmacy advocates are fighting a familiar battle against fraud perceptions in the wake of a report issued last week from HHS. more »

Strong Case on Capitol Hill
- Greg Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC - “I felt I was in front of a home team audience,” said Joel Marx, chairman of AAHomecare. more »

Gallagher Blasts CMS PR Machine, Vows to Fight On
WATERLOO, IOWA - VGM challenged CMS’ recent claims of just six competitive bidding complaints over the last 3 months. more »

A Bright Future
- Sean Schwinghammer
TALLAHASSEE, FL - HME will be the most needed industry in the new health care environment. more »

The HME Survivors’ Club Meets in October
- Kevin Gaffney, CEM
ATLANTA - What will Medtrade look like in six months when the industry converges in Atlanta from October 16-18? A lot depends on what the home care industry looks like. more »

Conspiracy or Collaboration?
- Greg Thompson
FORT COLLINS, CO - I’m not a big believer in conspiracy theories, so peddle your Area 51 UFO stories elsewhere. However, when it comes to CMS, I firmly believe in concerted collaboration. more »

Fraud and Abuse Hearing This Week
WASHINGTON, DC - “Once again, the timely announcement, fueled by CMS, did not come by chance or coincidence,” wrote officials at the VGM Group. more »

CMS Takes a “Superficial Look” at Competitive Bidding
WASHINGTON, DC - A 16-page competitive bidding update issued by CMS last week spawned a wave of negative publicity in several national media outlets. more »

Medtrade Spring 2012: Advocates See MPP Opportunity in 2012
LAS VEGAS – Lobbyists at the April 11 AAHomecare Update at Medtrade Spring 2012 believe the market pricing program (MPP) could still replace competitive bidding in 2012. more »

Ditching the Emotional Baggage
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
LAS VEGAS - With Medtrade Spring in the books, HME providers are moving beyond fear and uncertainty. more »

AAHomecare Offers Insight at Medtrade Spring
- Michael Reinemer
LAS VEGAS - Providers have the opportunity this week to chart their course for the rest of 2012 and beyond. more »

MPP Gets 1,000-Letter Push
WATERLOO, IOWA - Signatures from multiple HMEs were gathered together at VGM and sent to respective Senators in a collaborated effort. more »

Resilient, Resourceful, and Ready
- Kevin Gaffney, CEM
ATLANTA - Like Rocky, HME providers keep getting knocked down, but they find the strength to get back up before the count reaches ten. more »

Industry Unites to “Stand Up” and Keep Fighting
LAS VEGAS – Medtrade Spring attendees will have a chance to pledge that they “are still fighting for home care.” Meanwhile, the Stand Up for Homecare reception aims to raise money for continued advocacy. more »

Competitive Bidding Central at Medtrade Spring
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
AMARILLO, TX - When the EAB prepared education sessions for Medtrade Spring, it focused on “real world, nuts and bolts.” more »

The Day My Doctor Cried Out to Me
- Herb Paserman
Patient Perspective: What is happening to Medicare and home care services? more »

MAMES Conference Cozier Than Past Years
OMAHA, NE - Registration for the March 28-30 MAMES conference is down from last year, but those who attend will find it well worth the trip. more »

A Failure to Communicate
- Greg Thompson
When my own mom suffered from lung cancer in 2009, the various specialists at her Los Angeles hospital failed miserably to communicate. more »

Pharmacist’s Role Hightlighted in Anti Drug Counterfeiting Effort
ALEXANDRIA, VA - Small provider testifies: Community pharmacists are the best defense against fraud. more »

Early Bird Rates End Today for Medtrade Spring 2012
LAS VEGAS - Conference passes are $99, and expo passes are $25 through March 12. more »

Opportunities for MPP Still Exist
- Cara C. Bachenheimer
ELYRIA, OH - We must garner support to have our proposal attached to another one of the few moving pieces of legislation this year. more »

You Never Know When Things Could Change
- Karyn Estrella
NEW BEDFORD, MA - If round two is implemented, I am not of the opinion that we are doomed. more »

Mixed Mood After AAHomecare Conference
- Greg Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC - Doc fix/payroll tax extension legislation slipped off the table last week, but more than 300 advocates still took the opportunity to argue against competitive bidding and for the value of home care. more »

Retail Pharmacy Under Attack: 1963 to Now
- Chuck Blackburn
TARENTUM, PA - Merging PBMs is no different than what CMS has done to the HME industry with competitive bidding. It will end up creating monopolies in health care. more »

High Stakes on Capitol Hill
- Greg Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC - Cautious optimism reigns on the eve of the AAHomecare Legislative Conference, with advocates marshaling arguments for what many believe could be the last best hope to defeat competitive bidding. more »

Comp Bidding Demonstration on TV News
HELENA, MT - Montana providers appeared in a local television news broadcast following their Feburary 2 “push back” demonstration. more »

Big Time Sparring in Wall Street Journal
NEW YORK - A week of national media sparring over competitive bidding ended with Feb 10 published letters to the Wall Street Journal—one from Invacare chief Mal Mixon, and one from the deputy administrator of CMS. more »

Wherever You Are, Contact Congress!
- Michael Reinemer
WASHINGTON, DC - If you can’t be in Washington this week, you can still be heard. You can still be effective. Call your Senators and your Representative. more »

Advocates Urge Phone Calls and Online Petition in Support of AAHomecare Conference
WASHINGTON, DC - While AAHomecare Legislative Conference attendees prepare to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill, advocates are asking providers to reinforce the message with phone calls and an online petition. more »

Make a Difference
- Georgie Blackburn
TARENTUM, PA - Our advocacy really does not go unnoticed. Whether with a clinical referral source, a patient, or our legislators, it makes a difference. more »

Mixon and Brant Nab Legislative Advocate Awards
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Association for Homecare will present its newly created Legislative Advocate Award to A. Malachi “Mal” Mixon and Robert Brant. more »

Yes, There is a Conference and You CAN Make a Difference
- Sean Schwinghammer
FLORIDA - A few weeks ago at a competitive bidding seminar, I recommended that all attendees go to the AAHomecare Legislative Conference. Most of the assembled were perplexed. more »

Cramton Report Reverberates as MPP Push Intensifies
COLLEGE PARK, MD - Two weeks after economist Peter Cramton, PhD, reported that HME bid items had plummeted in all bidding categories in 2011, the University of Maryland professor’s insights continue to make an impact. more »

AAHomecare Conference Fee Now $0 for Members, $100 for Non-Members
WASHINGTON, DC - AAHomecare has decided to pay the full registration fee for all attendees from member companies at the 2012 Washington Legislative Conference. more »

Concerted Effort Needed in DC
- Seth Johnson
EXETER, PA - Congress is currently up against a February 29 deadline to extend the “payroll tax” and “Doc fix/SGR.” more »

AAHomecare: Gearing Up for “Final Push” Feb 15-16
WASHINGTON, DC - Early bird rates have been extended to 1/24, and advocates warn that the window for the market pricing program will close in about 45 days. more »

Drop in Round One Claims: “Numbers Are Astounding”
- Greg Thompson
Claims for HME bid items plummeted in all bidding categories in 2011, with complex rehab taking an 82% drop. more »

Medtrade Spring: Registration is Open
LAS VEGAS - With changes coming down the pike, Medtrade Spring is a great way to gain valuable knowledge that is vital to your business. more »

Competitive Bidding: Lessons from Valley Forge
- John Shirvinsky
HARRISBURG, PA - It is understandable that the HME industry is feeling beaten down and weary from the long and seemingly futile battle to halt the Medicare “competitive” bidding program. more »

Last Day for AAHomecare Conference Early Bird Rate
WASHINGTON, DC - AAHomecare officials agree that this year’s Legislative Conference, from Feb 15-16, will be a critical opportunity to let lawmakers know about the market pricing program (MPP) alternative to competitive bidding. more »

Legislative Conference: No Time Like the Present
- Cara C. Bachenheimer
ELYRIA, OH - We now have a significant opportunity to persuade Congress to act on the industry’s proposed legislative solution to fix the Medicare DME competitive bidding program. more »

AAHomecare Legislative Conference: No Time Like the Present
- Cara C. Bachenheimer
ELYRIA, OH - We now have a significant opportunity to persuade Congress to act on the industry’s proposed legislative solution to fix the Medicare DME competitive bidding program. more »

Early Bird Deadline Looms
WASHINGTON, DC - This year’s AAHomecare Legislative Conference, from Feb 15-16, will be a critical opportunity to let legislators know about the MPP alternative to competitive bidding. more »

Medtrade Spring 2012: Registration is Open
LAS VEGAS - Registration is in full swing for Medtrade Spring and the AAHomecare Legislative Conference. Don't miss your chance to get involved in 2012. more »

Opportunity is Knocking
- Jeff Woodham
LUBBOCK, TX - The HME industry is currently experiencing as much chaos as one group of business people should ever be asked to experience. more »

Now More Than Ever: Get Involved
- Joel D. Marx
AAHomecare is holding its 2012 Washington Legislative Conference from February 15-16. Your legislators in Congress need to know the facts. more »

Knowledge Equals Hope in 2012
- Kevin Gaffney, CEM
ATLANTA - It is your industry, and Medtrade and Medtrade Spring are your shows. more »