Comments for 60 Minutes Producers, from AAHomecare

While your segment, “60 Billion Dollar Fraud,” correctly assigns responsibility for stopping Medicare fraud to the federal agency in charge (Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), you did not mention that the vast majority of home medical equipment providers, who follow every rule and serve their communities extremely well, are also victims of this Medicare fraud because they are unfairly smeared with a broad brush by the media, by Congress, and by Medicare.

You did not mention the new accreditation and surety bond requirements that will go far toward excluding criminals from operating phony medical supply companies and billing Medicare. You did not mention that the amount of Medicare fraud that can be attributed to the home medical equipment sector cannot possibly account for more than one or two percent of the $60 billion in Medicare fraud you cite in your headline. What about the rest of the fraud? Where is your coverage of that?

Nor did you mention the fact that this medical equipment industry has proposed tougher anti-fraud measures than any other entity. See www.aahomecare.org/stopfraud to view the Association’s 13-point anti-fraud legislative action plan. The national association representing this sector, the American Association for Homecare, is working with Congress to get these proposals enacted into law.

The home medical equipment sector provides wheelchairs, oxygen, hospital beds and other durable medical equipment to seniors and people with disabilities. We would welcome an opportunity to provide you with accurate information and a complete picture of the home medical equipment sector.