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News
1/8/2010
PRESS RELEASE - Representative Frank Pallone
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Richard Lerner, Dr. Kevin Saluck, Tiffany Guarascio. |
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Dr. Kevin Saluck, Tiffany Guarascio, Eddie Ruela, Dir. of Operations, Allcare Medical. |
JAMES Facilitates Legislative Visit to a New Jersey HME Site at the Request of Representative Frank Pallone’s Office
Extended visit focused on the value of homecare
JACKSON, NJ, January 7, 2010 - Tiffany Guarascio, Legislative Director for Representative Frank Pallone’s Washington, D.C. office contacted the Jersey Association of Medical Equipment Services, and expressed interest in visiting a home medical equipment (HME) provider in their district. JAMES general member, Allcare Medical, hosted the educational site visit at their corporate headquarters located in Sayreville, New Jersey. Allcare Medical is a full service HME provider, with a scope of service that includes respiratory equipment and supplies, power mobility and custom rehab products, and orthotics and prosthetics.
Originally scheduled for a two-hour visit, Ms. Guarascio extended her time at Allcare Medical to well beyond three hours. Ms. Guarascio received an extensive tour of Allcare Medical that included a visit to their retail site, distribution warehouse and corporate offices. During this time, Ms. Guarascio met with staff at all levels in the operations of Allcare Medical, each one taking the time to detail their role within the organization and answer Ms. Guarascio’s questions. Ms. Guarascio was able to understand the flow of operations and experience the efforts that are required to service an HME patient from the initial receipt of an order, all the way through to any follow-up maintenance and services that the patient may require. Allcare Medical staff was able to accurately detail the measures that are taken by the organization to ensure they are meeting compliance with the CMS Quality Standards, the DMEPOS Supplier Standards and the standards of their accrediting body, as well as all state and federal guidelines that are applicable to their operations. Most importantly, they were able to help Ms. Guarascio understand all of the transparent services that are not separately reimbursable, but are a necessity for the delivery of a durable product. It was evident to Ms. Guarascio that an HME provider is an integral part of helping to keep the patient in their preferred home setting while they recuperate or manage their medical condition.
“I felt we had a very productive meeting with Tiffany Guarascio, Frank Pallone’s Legislative Director. She seemed very interested during our tour and round-table discussion, and asked many very good questions. In our discussion session, we had a dozen of our key managers and clinicians introduce themselves and discuss their position within our organization. We were able to show Tiffany that many professionals, clinicians and staff are required - and the cost to the organization - to provide care and services to the Medicare beneficiary,” said Richard Lerner, Allcare Medical President.
Also during the round-table session of the visit, the concerns of the industry regarding the competitive bidding program, the current 36-month oxygen cap and the preservation of the first month purchase option for power mobility were discussed with Ms. Guarascio. A power mobility patient was present to discuss how Allcare Medical has helped her over the past decade, and phone testimonials were provided to the group by two long-term respiratory patients.
Dr. Kevin Saluck, Vice President of Clinical Operations for Allcare Medical and JAMES President stated, “During the discussion of the complexities of the 36-month oxygen cap, Ms. Guarascio was taken aback by the fact that we are expected to supply oxygen and services to Medicare beneficiaries that travel, and that we have no representation in the state that the beneficiary travels to.”
“I believe Ms. Guarascio was given an essential education in the necessary role that our member companies play in the value of homecare. The costs involved with providing the level of service that our industry’s regulations have placed on an HME provider – costs that have gone as unrecognized by our policymakers - were largely on display for Ms. Guarascio. It was apparent during this site visit that there is a significant focus by the HME provider on providing timely access to quality home medical equipment and services,” said Wendy Russalesi, JAMES Executive Director.
The Jersey Association of Medical Equipment Services (JAMES), established in 1978, disseminates information related to the delivery of Home Medical Equipment to providers of these services. It is the goal of the organization to keep its members informed of industry changes and related information necessary to maintain quality of care in providing home medical equipment, supplies and services to the patients who rely on us. Our membership is comprised of more than 70 members and manufacturers doing business in the state of New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.jamesofnj.org or contact us by phone at 732-503-5665.
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