On July 15, 2008, Congress passed H. R 6331, which is officially titled “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.” President Bush actually vetoed the bill, but both the House and the Senate overturned it. You can see a summary of the law here.

This law includes a passage about revamping quality measures:

–Requires all suppliers to be accredited by Oct. 1, 2009. Ensure that all suppliers, whether they are billing Medicare directly or are a subcontractor to another supplier, be subject to accreditation.
–Requires contracting suppliers to disclose all subcontracting relationships to CMS.
–Excludes physicians and other practitioners from DMEPOS accreditation requirements until CMS develops provider-specific standards. Allow CMS to waive physician accreditation if the agency determines they are subject to other mandatory quality requirements.
–Establishes a separate ombudsman within CMS to handle supplier and beneficiary issues related to the competitive bidding program.

This law is significant because it is will exclude physicians and therefore oncology practices from undergoing this extensive accreditation process.

MTR passed the ACHC accreditation process this past spring on March 12, 2008. We are here to answer any questions you have regarding this bill and the quality measures. Please feel free to call our toll-free number: 1-888-250-5699.

Stay tuned to MTR’s blog to get the latest information on any future amendments to this bill!

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For those who are affected by the implementation of USP 797, consider calling Medical Technology Resources! MTR will be stocking the key products that meet the USP 797 requirements. For those of you who are unfamiliar, USP 797 is a far-reaching regulation that governs a wide range of pharmacy policies and procedures. It is designed both to cut down on infections transmitted to patients through pharmaceutical products and to better protect any staff working in pharmacies in the course of their exposure to pharmaceuticals. Pharmacies must follow the regulations that USP 797 enforces and MTR will be stocking Texwipe products in order to assist pharmacies in conforming to these regulations. To see more information on USP 797, visit http://www.usp797.org/. If you’re interested in purchasing any Texwipe disposable products, please call 1-888-250-5699 or e-mail sales@mtrhealth.com. We will be more than willing to answer all of your questions!

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On April 15th, John Lohrman, VP, and Luis Hernandez, Region Manager of Florida, visited Mercy Hospital in South Florida. They spoke to two oncology practices…entirely in Spanish. Spanish is the second most common language in the United States and it is still growing because of the proliferation of Hispanic immigration into the United States each year. Inadequate communication between a doctor and his Spanish-speaking patient contributes to difficulties in health care. Consequently, numerous hospitals are now employing people who speak Spanish.

MTR understands the necessity of embracing other cultures and of providing health care services in the Spanish language. In fact, if you look at the MTR homepage, there is a note that says “Se Habla”, meaning we speak Spanish.

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Medical Technology Resources, LLC (MTR) proudly announces its award of accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) for the services of home/durable medical equipment, specifically IV pumps.

Accreditation is a process where healthcare organizations submit to an internal review of their policies, processes, and service outcomes and have them compared to national standards. By achieving accreditation, MTR has shown its commitment to its mission statement – “Serving the People Who Care for the Patient” by continually striving for excellence in products and services and also by maintaining higher levels of standards.

Popularity: 73% [?]