Health Care Professionals Speak Out About Patient Access Issues

If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the power of a video.  For years, clinicians and case managers have struggled to coordinate care for their Medicare patients who require home medical equipment, services, and supplies under the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP).  Meanwhile, Medicare reports that there are no issues with the program and that access has been unaffected.

Patient advocacy group People for Quality Care is combatting this misinformation with a video featuring testimonials from health care professionals on the front lines of care who attend the annual Handi Medical Education & Equipment Conference in Saint Paul, MN. 

 “This video reinforces our message that the program is harming the very people it’s designed to protect and is in desperate need of reform,” says Kelly Turner, Director of People for Quality Care.   

The passionate and articulate clinicians in the video are clear. 

A poorly designed program design coupled with inadequate Medicare payments are crippling companies’ ability to provide home medical equipment and creating problems for Medicare beneficiaries.  Preventable hospital readmissions, reduced options, and patients either going without or paying out of pocket for home medical equipment are central themes as clinician after clinician shares the real world impact of Competitive Bidding in their communities.

“It’s destroying not just access to care but quality of care,” reports one clinician. “The government is picking on the most vulnerable people in our population” laments another.  “It may be great for Medicare; it’s not great for the patients.  It is the worst thing that I’ve seen in my entire life” stated a case manager who has been coordinating care for patients for 45 years. 

Ashley Plauché, AAHomecare’s Manager of Government Affairs and Legislative Partner of People for Quality Care, explained that this is a great example of what can happen when suppliers commit to advocacy. “Undoubtedly, their message echoes the sentiment of countless others across the country who are trapped in a failing system and looking to Congress and the Administration for change.”

People for Quality Care encourages people to engage elected officials about the need to protect the home medical equipment benefit.  The video is available online on People for Quality Care’s YouTube Channel. 

If you or a loved one have experienced issues obtaining home medical equipment, services, and supplies, call our Patient Hotline at 800.404.8702.