Oxygen Patients: Free Pre-Screens, Free Use of Equipment, a
Serving oxygen patients always has, and always will be, an important component of the DME industry. With 78 million Baby Boomers, most of whom will live into their 80s, the demand for oxygen therapy will continue to increase. The question facing many oxygen suppliers is whether they are allowed to provide value-added services to oxygen patients such as free pre-screens and free use of equipment for a short period of time. The general rule continues to be that providing free products and services to Medicare patients is prohibited by the federal beneficiary inducement statute and the federal anti-kickback statute (“AKS”). However, in a move to make health care more readily available to consumers, statutes have been passed - and regulations implemented - that give DME suppliers more flexibility to offer value-added services and products designed to give access to health care to those consumers that normally would not have such access. This webinar will discuss the recent changes in the law, including the Affordable Care Act, recent OIG Advisory Opinions, the November 2020 modifications to civil monetary penalties pertaining to patient inducements, and the November 2020 modifications to the AKS safe harbors. This program will discuss how these recent changes affect the ability of suppliers to provide value-added services and products to oxygen patients.