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July 6, 2010 - Medicare Update
| Beginning Jan 2011, competitive
bidding will replace the current "standard fee" system in selected
areas. This was briefly implemented in 2008, then stopped by
congress with the passing of the Medicare Improvements for
Patients and Providers Act. This marks the beginning of
implementing Medicare's competitive bidding program, which will be
used to determine the price Medicare pays for certain durable
medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies
The cuts will go into effect at the beginning of 2011 in the
following cities: Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Dallas;
Kansas City, Mo.; Miami; Orlando; Pittsburgh; and Riverside,
Calif.
It is anticipated that it will result in a 31-32% reduction in
the rates for the DME suppliers.
The American Association for Homecare, which opposes
competitive bidding, said the new bidding program relies on
"suicide bids" that will drive DME suppliers out of business.
Medicare also claims that the new competitive bidding program,
which will eventually expand to 91 regions in mid-2012, will help
lower costs of the system by32 percent. Since patients pay on a
percentage basis (up to 20 percent of the costs) , if Medicare
sets lower prices than the consumer also pays less.
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January 6, 2010
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that
passengers needing medical oxygen now have the option of using four
additional portable oxygen concentrators while traveling, bringing the
total number of approved units to 11.
Added today:
DeVilbiss Healthcare’s iGo
International Biophysics Corporation’s LifeChoice
Inogen’s Inogen One G2
Oxlife’s Independence Oxygen Concentrator
The FAA previously approved these portable oxygen concentrators for
use:
Delphi Medical Systems RS-00400
Invacare XPO2
AirSep Lifestyle
AirSep Freestyle
Inogen One
SeQual Eclipse
Respironics EverGo
Full FAA Press release:
http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=11083&print=go |
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Buying or Renting a
Personal Oxygen Concentrator?
Compare 12 different models and their features.
Revised 1/15/2010
CLICK Here for PDF |
|
New Guidelines for Flying:
Starting May 13, 2009 - there are some new rules - 2 most important
ones:
1) You will need your O2 prescriptions to be written within 10 days
of your 1st leg of your trip. Note: You do not need new
prescriptions for the balance of a trip.
2) You will be required to carry enough POC batteries to last 150% of predicted
length of your flight. Be sure to check with your
airline well in advance
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Featured Article:
New Oxygen
Guidelines from Medicare
As a result the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of
2008, there were several changes effecting services on or after January 1,
2009. The changes are being made to comply with the Act's requirements,
but also take into account the patients needs for life-sustaining oxygen.
CLICK HERE
| This website was created by Dr. Peter Wilson, a COPD
patient receiving Long Term Oxygen Therapy (LTOT). Though retired, he
had a Ph.D. and a background in instructional development. He created
this website to help patients and health care professionals deal with
the many complex issues of oxygen therapy. His detailed and in-depth
analysis and information on oxygen therapy qualified Dr. Wilson to be
considered an authority in this field. The value of this website as a
resource both for patients and for health care providers will
continue, not simply in a historical nature keeping the original
format and information, but as an active source
of current information, focusing primarily on the practical aspects of
oxygen therapy. |
Best Web Site!
The
American Thoracic Society (ATS) selected this web site as "Best Web Site" in its Pulmonary
Rehabilitation
category with a four-star rating.
| |
According to ATS, a 4-star site, "is an excellent
site with much useful
information. It should be worthy of being 'book-marked.' Most of the
subcategory ratings are good to excellent. It may be the best in its
field. All of the material is reliable, authoritative, current and
useful." |
Using this Web Site
Select the topic you want by
using
- the buttons (above).
- the index (below), or
- use the Google search engine.
|
Index
Oximeters
|
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Oximeters:
Part 1 of 2 |
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Oximeters:
Part 2 of 2 |
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Transtrachael Oxygen (TTO2) "Scoop" |
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Oxygen Without "Nose Hoses" |
LifeStyle
Issues
|
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NEW |
New
Medicare Guidelines for Oxygen |
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Information
on Flying When You Have Lung Disease |
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Why Product
Prices Not Shown
Here?
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Understanding
Your Breathing
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The
Good, Bad,
and Ugly About Oxygen Therapy
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Replacing Cannulas, Tubing & Other Disposables
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Mobility
for the Oxygen
User |
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Options
for the Active
High-Flow
User |
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Flying with
Oxygen
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Motoring with
Oxygen
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Portable Oxygen: Weights
and
Durations
Featuring portables
weigh less than 5 pounds and last longer than 5 hours.
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Safety
Issues
|
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Rosemarie's
Story by Rosemarie Leatham (Whitedove)
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Safe
Handling of Portables
|
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Packing
for Safety |
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Smoking &
Oxygen: A Terrible
Mixture
|
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Smoker Denied Access to Oxygen |
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Smoker's Home Destroyed and Neighbor Injured |
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Smoker Dies
in House Fire |
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Smoking Shortens Oxygen Patient's Life |
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Oxygen Is Not Flammable
|
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Oxygen
Stops,
Patient Dies
|
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Preparing
for Power
Outage |
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Oxygen Shortens
Patient's Life
|
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User
Obligation & Liability |
Oxygen
Suppliers
|
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About
Oxygen Providers
|
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Selecting
a Provider
|
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Is
Your Provider Accredited?
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What
Other Users Say About Oxygen While Traveling
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| Oxygen
Concentrators |
|
NEW
|
Concentrators:
Portable
& Transportable
Contains review of portable oxygen concentrators
Compare
9 different Portable Oxygen Concentrators
|
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Home
Use:
Compressed,
Liquid, or Concentrator? |
|
Making
O2
at Home: The Homefill Concentrator
|
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Making
O2
at
Home: The Total O2 Concentrator
|
Oxygen
Portables
|
|
Portable
Use:
Compressed,
Liquid, or Concentrator? |
|
Liquid
Portables
|
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Compressed
Portables--Pick Your Conserver
|
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Compressed
Oxygen--Pick Your Size Cylinder
|
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Tomorrow's
Cylinders,
Today |
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What
Do the
Numbered
Settings
Really Mean? |
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Motoring with
Oxygen
|
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What
Users REALLY Want |
Miscellaneous
|
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About Pete
Wilson
|
|
Results:
Oxygen
Therapy
Survey |
|
Survey
of
Educational Resources Available to Oxygen Users |
The Voices of Others
|
|
Bill
Horden
|
|
Mark
Mangus
|
|
Bob
McCoy &
Peter Bliss
|
|
Tom Petty, M.D.
|
Send
mail to
Webmaster@PortableOxygen.org
with questions or comments about this website
Last
modified: January 28, 2010
|
