Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/45026
30 Mobility HME NEWS TV BY ELIZABETH DEPREY, Associate Editor YARMOUTH, Maine – Providers need to make sure repair techs and employees who process Medi- care claims are on the same page if they want the reimbursement they're entitled to. Consultant Dick Fuller told HME News TV recently that the old days of doing repairs without thinking about it are over. "We have been so ingrained to just go out and fix it," he said. "We need to continue to do that, but at the same time, let's make sure that we're capturing what we truly do." In January, CMS eliminated the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs. To compensate for the loss of that upfront reimbursement, providers should be meticulous about their repair billing process, he said. "The game has changed," he said. "The profit margins have shrunk and we need to revisit WWW.HMENEWS.COM / NOVEMBER 2011 / HME NEWS The 'clean handoff': What you need to get what you deserve how we do our repairs, and, more importantly, making sure we bill all that we do when we do those repairs." Fuller said repair techs almost speak their own language; the trick to making sure every part of repair work is billed correctly is making sure they convey what they did in a clear manner. "The key thing I see is a 'clean handoff,'" said Fuller. "(What repair techs say) doesn't always make sense to those people at the company that prepare the claim for getting reimbursed." The first step in that clean hand- Esta Willman, ATP President Medi-Source Equipment & Supply Yucca Valley, CA DMEPOS off is to make sure the repair techs record all the work they do, he said. That means documenting how the seating system had to be removed and then replaced to change a battery, for example, rath- er than simply stating that the tech changed out the battery. The next step is to make sure all of that translates onto paper. "As long as the hand-off was done in a clean, understandable way—that makes a huge differ- ence in what we get paid," said Fuller. HME ADVOCATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 my drive to keep living. Why bother if there's no quality?" I'm an EP! N ot everyone has what it takes to be an EP (Exemplary Provider™ multitude of benefi ts year aſt er year. Esta Willman was sold on the The Compliance Team's Exemplary Provider™ accreditation when she realized that our plain-language quality standards would help her focus her specialty DMEPOS business on the simple truths that matter most to patients and payors alike. "As a small, community-based provider," Esta explains, "we chose The Compliance Team's Exemplary Provider Program because their patient-focused accreditation philosophy uses common sense in the real-world application of standards and serves to consistently guide us in our eff orts toward ), but those who do, reap a ever increasing levels of quality and patient satisfaction." Safety-Honest-Caring™ isn't just a slogan to us. The Compliance Team's industry-leading quality standards redefi ned accreditation for Esta just as they have for thousands of DMEPOS providers nationwide. Add our advisor mentoring, customizable manuals, self-assessment checklists, corporate compliance plans and access to electronic outcomes benchmarking and you'll see why our Exemplary Provider™ programs are healthcare's best accreditation value. Please visit us at www.TheComplianceTeam.org or call us at 215.654.9110 to learn more about our industry leading product-line and service specifi c Medicare "deemed" programs. Healthcare accreditation organization. Ponessa advocates for the HME industry because she sees Medicare and Med- icaid cuts as threats to her and others' quality of life. "We, as users, depend on our vendors and our deal- ers and the equipment that we use," said Ponessa. "It makes a difference between having a life and merely existing." Ponessa's message to pol- iticians is simple: Consid- er how slashing Medicaid and Medicare funding will affect those who use HME. And if they have to focus on the budget, look at it in the long run, in terms of how much is saved by keeping people at home, or by giv- ing them the equipment they need to avoid hospi- talization. "I like to go in person and I enjoy the jaw drop when I tell them all that I'm able to do," said Ponessa. "Part of it is because I've got a fierce drive and a passion for liv- ing. And the reason that I can have that, is because I have access to most of the equipment that I need to make my life possible." She prefers to work at the state level because repre- sentatives there know her. She feels that she is making a difference. "When Medicare is look- ing at a 60% budget cut and only a 24% budget cut goes through, I like to think that it's because of my advoca- cy," said Ponessa. HME