recent stock and bill policy change....
Joe Sansone
Description
Collection
Title:
recent stock and bill policy change....
Creator:
Joe Sansone
Date:
2/5/2010
Text:
According to AA Homecare, Medicare officials have stated that the
Consignment Closet (Stock and Bill) rule that was scheduled to take
effect next month has been rescinded. You may recall the there was a
policy outlined by Medicare issued in Sept 2009 that would have
restricted, if not prohibited, many of the Stock and Bill programs in
physicians' offices. This proposed change met with a great deal of
discord from companies providing Stock and Bill services especially
since such a short timeline was initially given.
What does this mean for O&P? For those of you who are anti-Stock and
Bill this is a blow because it will allow companies to continue to
provide soft goods in physicians' offices under Stock and Bill programs.
However, the proposed changes also would have forced physicians who
wished to continue providing products for Medicare patients in their
office to become our competitors and become bracing suppliers. If they
chose to maintain their stock and bill arrangements, Physicians would
have been required to obtain their own Medicare supplier number and bill
for these products themselves.
To many in the O&P community, either outcome would have been harmful to
O&P. In my own personal opinion, what the O&P industry needs is
differentiation from the DME providers - and anytime were are relegated
to providing true custom products rather than arm slings and crutches,
we are moving in that direction. Stock and Bill programs by nature keep
the soft good business in the hands of others (or the savvy O&P
provider) while the Orthotists provide the true custom bracing.
Joe Sansone
C.E.O.
TMC Orthopedic
Amputee & Prosthetic Center
(713) 669-1800
www.myamputee.com < <URL Redacted>>
www.tmcortho.com
Consignment Closet (Stock and Bill) rule that was scheduled to take
effect next month has been rescinded. You may recall the there was a
policy outlined by Medicare issued in Sept 2009 that would have
restricted, if not prohibited, many of the Stock and Bill programs in
physicians' offices. This proposed change met with a great deal of
discord from companies providing Stock and Bill services especially
since such a short timeline was initially given.
What does this mean for O&P? For those of you who are anti-Stock and
Bill this is a blow because it will allow companies to continue to
provide soft goods in physicians' offices under Stock and Bill programs.
However, the proposed changes also would have forced physicians who
wished to continue providing products for Medicare patients in their
office to become our competitors and become bracing suppliers. If they
chose to maintain their stock and bill arrangements, Physicians would
have been required to obtain their own Medicare supplier number and bill
for these products themselves.
To many in the O&P community, either outcome would have been harmful to
O&P. In my own personal opinion, what the O&P industry needs is
differentiation from the DME providers - and anytime were are relegated
to providing true custom products rather than arm slings and crutches,
we are moving in that direction. Stock and Bill programs by nature keep
the soft good business in the hands of others (or the savvy O&P
provider) while the Orthotists provide the true custom bracing.
Joe Sansone
C.E.O.
TMC Orthopedic
Amputee & Prosthetic Center
(713) 669-1800
www.myamputee.com < <URL Redacted>>
www.tmcortho.com
Citation
Joe Sansone, “recent stock and bill policy change....,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 5, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/231192.
