In Case You Missed It: News & Notes from Medtrade 2013

The Luck of the Draw

Congratulations to Anna McDevitt, with Laboratory Marketing in Farmdale, Mich., who won the AAHomecare booth drawing for a high-definition TV at Medtrade.  Anna says this about her company’s involvement with AAHomecare:

"Being part of AAHomecare has made it easy to network with other professionals in the industry as well as take an active role in defending homecare providers and patients in Washington. I view my AAHomecare membership as both a business tool and professional duty. As the motto goes: 'United we stand, divided we fall.'"

If you’re an AAHomecare member, or just curious about our role as an advocate and resource for the HME community, make plans to stop by our booth at Medtrade Spring (March 10-12, 2014, Las Vegas). You may or may not win a major household appliance, but we promise to make it worth your time.

Homecare Champions Honored as Hundreds Stand Up for Homecare

At a packed Stand Up for Homecare reception, AAHomecare celebrated the recipients of its annual Homecare Champion Award:  Scott Meuser, chairman and CEO of Pride Mobility; and long-time HME industry advocate Shelly Prial. The award recognizes association members who have made exceptional contributions to the homecare community throughout their careers.

Meuser was honored for his long time leadership on public policy issues, including service on the AAHomecare board of directors, and also for Pride’s long term commitment to working in close partnership with the provider community. Prial’s award comes in recognition of a long and pioneering career in the HME sector and for his continued advocacy as Medtrade ambassador and influential blogger.

The event raised more than $75,000 in support of enhanced efforts to get positive, accurate news about home medical equipment into national and local media through direct outreach to media contacts. The campaign also helps recruit new homecare advocates, including providers, their patients, and other stakeholders build positive perceptions of the HME sector on Capitol Hill. Learn more about the Stand Up for Homecare campaign.

Make your plans to support this important campaign and meet other HME leaders at the next Stand Up for Homecare reception at Medtrade Spring. Contact Ashley Jackson at 202-372-0743 or ashleyj@aahomecare.org about sponsorship opportunities at Medtrade’s can’t-miss networking event.

Where Were You?

Did you miss out on Medtrade 2013? You can still access more than 70 educational sessions from the show, available individually or as a complete set, as well as sessions from past shows, via the Medtrade Digital Library.

More importantly, mark your calendar and get ready to join us in person at Medtrade Spring, March 10-12, 2014, in fabulous Las Vegas.  Give Medtrade three days of your time, and you’ll get back a return that will pay dividends for your business all year long!

What is CMS going to cook up next for DME providers?

Whatever it is, you’ll want to have a solid compliance program in place.

Now that the Congress has reached an agreement to keep the federal government in operation (for a few months, at least), the folks at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can get back to dreaming up new audit regimens and other requirements for you to contend with.

Speaking of requirements, did you know that 2010's Affordable Care Act will make having a compliance program mandatory for any provider who bills Medicare? That’s right: mandatory, as in the opposite of optional.

But don’t despair, while compliance programs can be complicated, time-consuming, and expensive to develop from scratch, AAHomecare has a way to make starting your program easier, faster, and cheaper! Our new Focus on Compliance Workbook, written by attorney Asela Cuervo and reviewed by members of the Association’s Regulatory Council, will guide you through the process.

The Focus on Compliance Workbook provides explanations and sample forms for these important elements of an effective compliance program:

•    written standards and procedures
•    the compliance officer
•    employee training
•    means for employees to report misconduct
•    processes to investigate reports of misconduct and take corrective action
•    enforcement through disciplinary action
•    ongoing monitoring

In addition to maintaining enrollment in federal healthcare programs, the benefits of a custom compliance program include built-in audit support, more effective internal controls, and quality improvements.

Take a look at the table of contents to get a better sense of the impressive scope of this detailed 80+ page workbook, then order your copy today and save with our early-bird pricing special:

•    $499 for AAHomecare members
•    $799 for non-members

These introductory prices are valid through December 31.