The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) home health calendar year 2026 final rule revives Medicare’s controversial competitive bidding program and requires annual accreditation for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers who bill Medicare. The long-awaited final rule was published on Nov. 28. Accreditation to become an annual requirement Accreditation, which…
CMS Final Rule Restarts Competitive Bidding, Requires Annual DMEPOS Accreditation
Study Calculates First-Year Costs for Newly Diagnosed ALS Medicare Beneficiaries
New ALS patients had higher costs for acute care, prescription medications and durable medical equipment.
A new study has revealed the financial costs for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the first year after diagnosis. The research led by the ALS Association and published in the October edition of The American Journal of Managed Care said the average Medicare beneficiary diagnosed with ALS racked up first-year medical expenses of…
CMS: ICD-10 Codes No Longer Required for Wheelchair Seating Documentation
The DME MAC contractors announced the change on Oct. 2.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) DME MAC contractors have removed ICD-10 codes from its wheelchair seating requirements. The National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART) reported the change in an Oct. 2 breaking news bulletin to stakeholders while linking to the updated article. The article’s revision date is Oct. 1, 2025.…
Medicare Changes to 5-Year PMD Prior Authorization Rule: Inside the Clinician Task Force Response to CMS
CTF Executive Director Tamara Kittelson said clinical assessments directly impact wheelchair provision outcomes.
Are you exactly the same person today — physically, cognitively, task wise — as you were five years ago? That’s the basic and critical question behind the Clinician Task Force’s (CTF) recent letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning CMS’s recent change to the Medicare five-year replacement rule for prior authorization…
Legislation Introduced as Sept. 30 Telehealth Deadline Looms for Clinicians
Two new bills seek a two-year extension, as advocates work on permanent telehealth coverage.
The Medicare telehealth flexibility granted to physical and occupational therapists since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is about to expire, again. But newly introduced bills seek a two-year extension. After multiple telehealth extensions throughout the pandemic’s public health emergency (PHE), the current waiver is due to end on Sept. 30, unless Congress takes action.…
AAHomecare Shifts to Second Phase of Campaign to Reshape Competitive Bidding Policy
The association is meeting with key leaders at the Department of Health & Human Services.
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has begun phase two in its efforts to reshape Medicare competitive bidding policy. With the public comment period for the home health proposed rule now closed, AAHomecare is focusing on next steps, including meetings with key leaders to confront the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) plans to…
Briefly: DME MACs Issue October HCPCS Changes; RESNA Pop-Up Certification Event Is Sept. 18
Featuring CGS Administrators, the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America, and The Ohio State University.
DME MACs List October HCPCS Code Changes The DME MAC contractors have released the list of HCPCS code changes going into effect on Oct. 1. In a Sept. 9 notice, CGS Administrators, the Jurisdictions B and C DME MAC, released code changes in the seating and mobility segment: — E0150: Combination wheeled walker with seat…
AAHomecare Shares Proposed Rule Comments on DMEPOS Competitive Bidding, Accreditation
The public comment period closed Aug. 29.
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has submitted its comments on Medicare competitive bidding and accreditation recommendations in the calendar year 2026 home health proposed rule. AAHomecare addressed its 45-page list of comments to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., on Aug. 27. Competitive bidding proposals in conflict with executive…
AAHomecare: Proposed Rule’s Competitive Bidding Plan an ‘Asteroid’ Heading for DME Industry
CMS is taking public comments on its proposed Medicare competitive bidding process till Aug. 29.
The home health proposed rule’s plans for the resumption of Medicare competitive bidding for durable medical equipment (DME) is an “asteroid” whose impact would be devastating for home medical equipment (HME) providers and the patients they support. Tom Ryan, the CEO/president for the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare), made that comment during an Aug. 6…
AAHomecare: HHS 2026 Plans Include Resuming Medicare Competitive Bidding Program
Competitive bidding is currently in a “gap” period.
Newly released information from the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) 2026 includes plans to restart the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) said in a June 3 bulletin. AAHomecare said the information was included in the HHS Budget in Brief document that discusses the department’s…