4/21/08: DAP QUESTIONS ROLE OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IN NEW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT CONTRACTING SCHEME

Contact: Ben Smilowitz: 314-761-7631

Ben@DisasterAccountability.org

For Immediate Release:

DISASTER WATCHDOG QUESTIONS ROLE OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IN NEW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT CONTRACTING SCHEME

A new Medicare bidding process for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) is significantly reducing the number of distributors of DME in 10 Major Metro areas (MSAs) across the United States. The Disaster Accountability Project is questioning the role of disaster preparedness and response considerations in the significant reduction of suppliers of life-sustaining DME. For example, in South Florida, the number of oxygen suppliers will be reduced from about 501 to 44. After a disaster, fewer than half may be functional, resulting in major, life-threatening shortages.

The Disaster Accountability Project wants to know: 1) Did Medicare consider disaster scenarios at all when executing this bidding process? 2) Were post-disaster surge capacity needs considered when Medicare limited the number of winning bidders in each MSA?

“With two South Florida MSAs located in hurricane alley, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (California) MSA located in an earthquake zone, and the importance of disaster preparedness everywhere, the issue of significantly fewer oxygen distributors presents some major concerns for us, looking at the issue with a disaster accountability lens,” said Ben Smilowitz, Executive Director, Disaster Accountability Project.

“Is there a plan in place for the distribution of DMEs like oxygen after a disaster and how will significantly fewer distributors be able to serve public need after a disaster when as many as half of the distributors (or more) may be off-line for weeks– as was the case after previous storms? Without adequate supplies after a storm, individuals that depend on oxygen, for example, may overwhelm emergency rooms causing further drain to resources and a large expense to the public,” Smilowitz said.

Our research has found that the State of Florida requires oxygen distributors to maintain emergency plans with county governments. However, in some counties, the plans are not reviewed by emergency planning staff. The nature of other states’ requirements for coordination between DME suppliers and emergency planners is unknown.

The ten major metro areas (MSAs) affected by the new Medicare bidding process for Durable Medical Equipment are:

Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC

Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN

Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Kansas City, MO-KS

Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, FL

Orlando, FL

Pittsburgh, PA

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo, PR

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The nonpartisan Disaster Accountability Project provides accountability and oversight to the nation’s disaster prevention, response, relief, and recovery systems through monitoring and policy research.

A toll-free hotline (866-9-TIP-DAP) is available as a public service for disaster survivors, workers and volunteers to report critical service gaps that must be made public and addressed. The group is recruiting a network of Disaster Accountability Monitors and Bloggers to help report, verify, and raise awareness about gaps in disaster relief services.

The Disaster Accountability Project’s website is https://disasteraccountability.org

Disaster Accountability Project is a 2008 Echoing Green Finalist.

For more information: http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/2008-fellowship-finalists

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