More Fly-In

The past few days, I have received a number of messages from several state DME associations. Each of them was very positive about what was accomplished at the Washington Fly-In sponsored by AAHomecare.

I am very cognizant of how much it costs to send a delegate to DC. I know how many dollars are spent when participating, but don’t look upon that as an expense! The few pennies spent are an investment to keep your company solvent! I knew all the employees and their families who worked with Thelma and I. We had to protect them! We also treated each of our clients as personal friends. Our responsibility was to protect each and every one of them. This has always been my driving force and it should also be yours!

Obtaining positive results can make a major difference for every DME/HME dealer. The problem is that not every DME/HME dealer is currently a dues paying member of AAHomecare and their state DME association. They do so much with the limited funds they have. They will be able to do much, much more when their membership grows. No company can stand alone! To allow positive things to happen, you all must join.

The other side of the coin is bleak! To date, I have seen too many DME/HME operations closing. THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN! If we do not get H.R. 1717 passed this year, it will be a severe blow to our industry. There are many other difficulties to be resolved. Don’t sit by idly and twiddle your thumbs. There is no one else - It is up to you!

 

The dues for membership are insignificant, especially when compared with results. I feel sometimes that I am preaching to the choir. Please do not sit back and wait for someone else to do things. Invest in your future! Hesitation in these critical days can be fatal!

I ask that all DME/HME dealers and providers get on board now so that in October, at the Fall Medtrade Exposition, we will be able to stand proudly with all the attendees and exhibitors.  

WASHINGTON FLY-IN

It has been several years since I last joined AA Homecare to participate in their Legislative Conference (WASHINGTON FLY-IN). This has proven to be a most effective way to get to see as many congressmen possible. The way that AAH provided handouts, scheduled most of the appointments and then carefully explained to all of us just how to make the presentations to be effective. They did a terrific job! They did this again this year.

I received a summary of the activities this year from Jerry Hall and the Florida delegates he traveled with. This team worked with the Health L.A. or the Chief of staff in each office they visited. They are the important personnel in each office in DC who can carry your message. Locally, you will discover that there is a similar office not very distant from you. A visit there has always been fruitful! In my district in Florida a number of DME/HME dealers work closely with our Congressman through his local office.

One of Jerry’s team objectives was to ask other Congressmen to co-sponsor H.R. 1717. The reports I received were very positive. They met several Congressmen and both Senators from Florida. They were all very encouraging. The Congressmen who have already signed on to HR 1717 were also asked to contact all the others who did not sign on (not just from Florida). Currently we have 174 co-sponsors and we need 218. Please contact your representative and if you need their number contact your state association or call me (321-259-7127). It is that imperative that this bill is passed! MAKE THAT CALL ASAP!

 

Watch this video from AA Homecare on important information about following up with your representatives.


The task we have always faced was how to get elected officials on our side. This was often accomplished when we told them how many senior citizens, Medicare, and other patients we service. We also expanded our list by including family caregivers. To stay in office, Congressmen need votes. Working with us is how better they can earn them. This worked very nicely for us and it will work for you. Votes are the keys to them staying in office.

I know that if every DME/HME dealer will become more active we will be able to get H.R. 1717 passed. We have to do this because if we fail again this will be fatal for many dealers. They might be forced to close down their operation and the loss of income and employees is too frightening to consider. Let us not allow this to happen. Get on the team and everything can be changed to the positive. If you are not currently a member of your state DME association and AA Homecare please do it now! I know at Medtrade in Atlanta there will a great amount of time dedicated to aid you in becoming a more active dealer.

POTUS

TAKE ACTION NOW:  http://action.aahomecare.org/

For the next four years, the President of the United States will again be Barack Obama. Whether you supported him or Romney is no longer important. There can only be one President. However, the United States of America is still divided into two equal “pros” and “cons”. This is what concerns me now, are Congress and the President capable of working more closely together? There is far too much at stake to play “a party line”!

From today forward we, particularly DME/HME providers, must do everything possible to protect our industry and take care of our clientele. One of the important tasks facing us at this moment is getting HR 6490 (MPP) out of committee and onto the floor of Congress.

For the next two months we will have a “lame duck” Congress. If your current Congressman was not re-elected, please make the contact.  Now is when to ask for his support. Speak, explain and I am sure that you will be able to get them to sign on their support before they return home.

TAKE ACTION NOW

If it is a new Congressman, then before anyone else reaches him, please be the first of his constituents to make contact. They do not know if you voted for or against them. What is imperative is that they will recognize that you are an active constituent and your voice will be heard. This will also establish you as a valuable supporter with strong contacts in the community.

TAKE ACTION NOW

The first step is to establish close relations with the HLA (health legislative assistant) in the DC office and the office manager at their home base. Their major task is to collect the messages from the electorate and bring it to the legislator. Make friends! Let them know how much you and your customers appreciate what they do.

All the years that I was in business I made it a point to work with my Congressmen. I developed friends, with both my Senators Representatives office, in DC and at home. When I contacted them I was always heard and,  more often than not, I received an answer to my requests. You must establish a similar relationship. That is how they stay in office!

The average citizen in the United States can be heard and if you and the other DME/HME providers work together, we can get more of what we need.  Your state and national associations will guide you.

TAKE ACTION NOW

The Supreme Court Decision 2012

The Supreme Court Decision

Thursday, June 28, 2012, 11:35 AM, and my phone started to ring. The Supreme Court of the United States, with a 5-4 vote, has said that the health care legislation is not in violation of the Constitution. We have all been waiting to hear what they believe and they have spoken.

Please do NOT make any mistakes, which can cause you to lose customers. The politicians are going to scream in dismay or say thank you. You should not do either.

Study the legislation to learn how it can affect your company that is only as far as you should go!  Every market is different; don’t give any positive or negative comments.  When someone asks for an opinion, please state simply that you are waiting to see how it will work. Taking a side will be very detrimental.

Listen to your clientele, thank them for their thoughts, but never state how you feel. This is not the time to take sides!

Take Action!

The best way to describe action is behavior with energy and resolution. It means getting off your chair and doing something.

In the past few weeks DME/HME providers have been asked to make phone calls, send letters and roll up their sleeves to fight some of the onerous legislation being introduced. You are also being asked to support specific politicians and legislations. Are you doing what has been asked of you?

I have on many occasions, when speaking with providers, tried to determine the response they received from the elected officials they contacted. When I receive a message from the state and national associations, I pick up the phone and make calls, write memos or send e-mails. I am sure that the great number of members of state associations, AAHomecare, NAIMES, VGM, MED Group and similar organizations do the same. They ask you to do something!

BUT……. When I hear from dealers who do not belong to these organizations they answer me with a ‘WHY’? If they don’t belong, they say they have no obligation. This shocks me, because they are “free-loaders” and beneficiaries of another person’s dollars.

Can you imagine how much more effective these associations would be if almost 100% of the dealers and providers paid dues, worked with their associations and joined in the battle? They need your energy and resolution! They need your financial support. They will keep you in business; they will help you fight the changes that can be destructive.

There is no one else who can do this other than you. NO ONE ELSE!

Stand Up for Homecare Medtrade Spring 2011

If you’re going to Medtrade Spring, be sure to join AA Homecare at the annual Stand Up for Homecare Reception. www.aahomecare.org/standupforhomecare

If you aren't going to Vegas for the show, be sure to check out AA Homecare's Action center to find out how you can help on a local and national level! TAKE ACTION

Medtrade Spring Excitement!

I got very excited this morning. I made my reservation for a hotel room in Las Vegas. Thelma and I will be able to attend the Spring Medtrade Exhibition in Las Vegas (April 11 and 12) and we look forward to a few fantastic days.

I believe that I have attended every Medtrade Exhibition since its inception and yet the excitement of seeing all my friends, meeting new ones, attending seminars and visiting exhibitors still turns me on. Nothing can match this!

This year, more than ever before, our industry is under attack. DME/HME dealers and providers are an easy target for politicians. We have to learn how better to work together, share expenses and deliver our message.

Because of chicanery on the part of a few dishonest individuals and companies, padding of bills for Medicare and Medicaid, and politicians are using it as fodder. They say when elected they will be able to redo the programs. But they never do, they only talk! Just say how. 

Our task is to make sure the general public, our customers, clientele, family caregivers and friends to join forces and deliver the message that DME/HME dealers are not culprits. The reimbursements they receive for supplies and equipment never covers all that is provided, including service. This service which is provided pro bono is the one thing that must be told! Making the trip to Las Vegas is the best opportunity to protect your company!

Attending gets me very excited, especially when the dealers and vendors I meet at Medtrade share with me their ideas. The future of our industry, in particular this year since Congress will probably be changed in November. It is so imperative to get involved.

At Medtrade you will obtain all the tools you will need to speak with both customers and politicians. The state associations will be there, the national associations will be there, vendors and manufacturers will be there and so must you!

The speakers will all be primed to see that when you return home you will be ready to get your employees, customers, family caregivers, friends and associates ready to do battle Get excited and register to attend (April 11-12).

For more information on Medtrade Spring conference and exhibition visit the website here:

http://www.medtrade.com/medtrade-spring/

And don't forget to "Like" the Medtrade Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/medtrade

Is There No End?

It seems that everyday in the newspapers we find reports of more and more fraud and abuse in the health care system. Yet since I know many dealers and providers, and communicate with their state and national associations, I will make the following statement: “Fraud and abuse does NOT come from providers, but from outside sources who take advantage of an antiquated system designed for reimbursement.”

The system is at fault, not the dealers or providers. According to an article this week (Associated Press) in 2011 the Feds found $4.1 BILLION dollars in health care fraud. That sounds like a great deal of money, but the next paragraph said that they estimated anywhere from 60 to 90 billion dollars a year was being siphoned out of the system.

The average DME/HME dealers are the hardest working proprietors who operate their companies honestly. They are not the culprits. They give away more service and care Pro Bono than any other industry. So what can be done to stop this thievery?

The first thing that has to be accomplished is that every dealer or provider has to earn a license. We have made great progress in that direction and now must go one step further. Accreditation is a fantastic step forward and those dealers who meet and maintain these standards are to be recognized.

It appears that fraud and abuse has become such a major “industry” with developing networks that operate for a few years, milk many dollars, and when uncovered they disappear. Many new “Jack, the Crook” operations are popping up. Why not? When Jack the Crook is discovered selling narcotics he goes to jail, but when he is caught stealing from Medicare, he closes his business and re-opens the next day with a different name. That being the case, the first step has to be earning a license to provide health care supplies, one which can be revoked or suspended.

Is there no end to fraud and abuse? We have to be diligent. We have to work with our state DME associations and support the national associations. At Medtrade this Spring, in Las Vegas, you can speak to all of them and sign on to fight for survival and keep out all the “Jack the Crook” operations.

A 10-year old's take on the solution to Competitive Bidding

I receive a great number of messages daily (thank you) and I look forward to reading most of them. The most important are the e-mails sent by the administrators of the state DME associations. I recognize the hard work they perform and the great amount of information they provide to their members.

I want to share an e-mail that Mike Hamilton, Executive Director of ADMEA, sent to his members today. Mike and I have been friends for many years and I know he will not object to my sending this to you. Just look at the idea from a 10 year old young lady.

I am forwarding it exactly as it was sent:

“Like many in the HME industry, Peter Falkson, CEO and co-founder of National Sleep Therapy was concerned and frustrated about the competitive bidding program. He wanted to take action and find a way to reach out to the public about a flawed program that they have no idea is coming. Little did he know that the answer would come from his 10-year-old daughter.

"I was talking to my wife about competitive bidding" said Falkson, "telling her how it was so poorly aligned. My daughter was in the room listening and she said, 'Dad, this is easy. You just need to do what we did in my class. Tell the world your story and if it is a good story, they will cause the change.'"

"My daugther was one of fourteen fourth-graders who got together to take on Universal Pictures to change a movie trailer. After collecting 57,000 signatures, the studio made the change. They used a website called Change.org to create an on-line petition that ended up going viral. Falkson said, "It worked for her class so I took her advice!"

"This is such a great idea," said Karyn Estrella, NEMED executive director. "We have heard from Congress year after year that they don't hear enough about competitive bidding from their constituents but it's been difficult to get them involved. If we can get enough organizations to support this effort, we have a good chance of raising awareness that this program needs to be fixed. 20 NEMED members will be traveling to D.C. next week to ask Congress to add the Market Pricing Plan (MPP) to the doc fix bill. If we can get enough signatures on this petition, it could strengthen our position. NEMED will be sharing the link with AAHomecare, state associations and other organizations with a request that they share the petition in email, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This petition needs to go viral." Added Falkson, "If every HME company got half of their patient base to sign this petition, we would have a chance. We need the grassroots voters to have a united voice to actually make a change."

I am sure that you will enjoy these comments as I did. I will share with our readers all the good ideas I receive!

If you agree, please sign the online petition here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-competitive-bidding

Health Insurance

After listening the past few weeks to the politicians seeking the Presidential nomination, and then reading what the columnists in magazines and newspapers comment, I am flabbergasted! I do not quite comprehend what they each stand for or what they will do. They scream about the cost of health care, but not about the threats that our country faces in this hectic world.

My main concern is if any changes in legislation will affect DME/HME dealers and providers. As an industry our first concern has always been for our customers, patients and their family caregivers.

Americans purchase life insurance, home insurance, automobile insurance, and many other types of policies to protect themselves, their homes, possessions and livelihood. These are not all obligatory, but one’s choice. Ownership of these gives one a feeling of security. There are occasions when in order to get a loan the lender will demand a policy but it is still an individual’s option.

There are countries that provide every citizen with a form of health insurance. That, too, is laudable. Many employers provide some type of health insurance as part of their salary packages. Many of the poor and indigent in the U.S. are covered by their state's Medicaid programs. And, for a huge number of the population there is Medicare.

Should the percentage of Americans who do not have health insurance be obliged to purchase it? I believe that if it is forced on us the cost of insurance will rise. I also believe that if a person does not wish to buy any form of health insurance that is their decision! Should one be penalized if they do not have insurance?

I know that in one way or another, the source of medical supplies will always be DME/HME dealers. I am very comfortable with my feeling that DME/HME will always be ready and willing to serve their community.

So to all politicians, whether on the left or the right, please address the threats that face the United States of America; inflation, Iran, oil, recession, budget, education and work to correct the rapidly rising cost of health care in our country caused by fraud and abuse. Once this is corrected there will be sufficient funds to cover all citizens.

Health Care Reform

On the OPINION page in the Wall Street Journal (issue date 02/06/12) I saw an answer to the Medicare competitive bid program.

Normally a competitive bid is awarded to the lowest bidder. Other than that, why go through the motions? The Medicare competitive bid program “winners” (more than one) will receive the median price offered, rather than the lowest quote received. Does that make sense?

Chaos is created as follows: Dealer known only as “Jack the Crook Home Health Care,” does the following (is his company part of a chain?): He submits his bids so low that if he was awarded the bid he would go bankrupt. But that doesn’t happen!

“Jack the Crook” knows that median price is awarded to the lowest bidders (his company fits that slot) and he is in. This is dishonest, unfair to the legitimate dealers who to submit prices based on their cost and services, and more often than not, are in the top percentage of bids submitted. Now, they find themselves out of the loop.

As an industry we must attack this faulty legislation and show just how stupid it is. As a DME/HME dealer you must alert all your customers, family caregivers, and others to this rather poor bid and explain the consequences. When we all work as a team, we can accomplish that!

Find a copy of this WSJ Opinion and read it, share it, and then get on the bandwagon and get this yoke off everyone's back, particularly those of your clientele.

At Medtrade this spring in Las Vegas (4/10-12) a great deal of time will be devoted to this subject. Be sure you attend, there is far too much at stake for you not to be there. Seminars, workshops, and many experts all bringing with them the tools you require to maintain your company. You have to protect what you have, no one else can do that for you.