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The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) Chairman Peter Kelly,reacting to CMS' competitive bidding announcement, said that today's newsunderscores the importance of "proceeding with caution" with regard toMedicare policy changes related to home oxygen therapy. "Changes stemmingfrom new competitive bidding policies are even more dramatic than anticipated,and the breadth of those changes should cause policymakers - and all of us whocare for Medicare's sickest beneficiaries - to stop and assess carefully theeffect these changes will have on the health and well being of elderlypatients."
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Citing the wide variation in bids from community to community, Kelly saidthat "initial results prove that what works in one community cannot be assumedto work in another." He also warned that "the magnitude of current andpending Medicare cuts will make the oxygen benefit unsustainable and theimpact on beneficiaries dangerously unpredictable. At a time when governmentis working to stimulate quality improvement and keep patients in their homesand out of expensive institutional settings, these budget-driven policieseffectively eliminate all incentives for quality improvement and discouragepreventive care."
The home oxygen community is currently bracing for a time of greatuncertainty for patients and providers due to sweeping changes due to takeplace in 2008 and 2009 and required by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 andthe Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which will cut benefits for homeoxygen by more than $1.5 billion over the next two years.
"We are deeply troubled by the prospect that policymakers may consideradditional benefit reductions at a time of such disruption and uncertainty,"said Kelly. "The men and women who provide home oxygen services represent thelargest single cost associated with helping patients manage their chronicdisease. Deep reductions in Medicare funding will eliminate key jobs at atime when the demand for quality is increasing and the economy is experiencinga downturn."
Kelly added, "Continuing to cut Medicare's oxygen benefit will not producethoughtful program reforms that lead to increased quality, better patientcare, fewer hospitalizations and more efficient use of the health care system.We look forward to engaging with policy leaders on appropriate and sustainableapproaches to caring for patients suffering from chronic lung and heartdiseases."
The Council for Quality Respiratory Care is a group of the nation'sleading home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturers, representing amajority of the more than one million Medicare patients who depend on the homeoxygen benefit for their care in order to live in an independent environment.The Council was formed to work closely with policymakers and their staffs tofacilitate a deeper understanding of the clinical, operational, andservice-related complexities associated with the provision of thislife-enhancing benefit.
SOURCE The Council for Quality Respiratory Care