Patients, Referral Sources, and     Providers Win!

House and Senate Override President Bush’s Veto

of HR 6331

          The House and Senate voted on July 14^th to override the veto by President Bush of HR 6331, “The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.”  The House set the tone for the Senate with an overwhelming vote of 383-41 in favor of overriding the veto. The Senate followed in the footsteps of the House with a vote of 70-26 to override President Bush’s veto, and pass HR 6331. 

          This legislation has a positive impact on the accessibility of respiratory and home medical equipment for patients, and the ease of referral by the healthcare community. Previous legislation (The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003) mandated home medical equipment providers “bid” to attain a contract to provide certain categories of products (for example oxygen equipment and accessories) for Medicare beneficiaries. Losing bidders would no longer be able to provide services for Medicare patients for three years.

          In our opinion the three most important pieces of this legislation are;

      At a minimum, competitive bidding will not begin in           Connecticut until 2011.

 ▪   This will give the home medical industry time to educate our elected officials about homecare being part of the solution to the rising costs of health care in America. More importantly, it is the patient preferred method of receiving care.

      Revamp Quality Measures.

▪ HR 6331 requires all suppliers to be accredited by Oct. 1, 2009. This             assures patients are receiving quality care in the home by reputable providers.

J&L Medical Services has been accredited by JCAHO since 2003.

       Repealed the transfer of oxygen equipment to beneficiaries.

▪ We support this policy as home oxygen is a prescription drug. Beneficiary ownership would create a secondary market for this equipment that may not be used under the care of a licensed physician.

          J & L Medical Services is extremely pleased with the passing of this legislation. We have taken the  initiative to educate our elected officials and members of the healthcare community of the access issues that will occur if competitive bidding were to take place. Our next goal is to see legislation passed that will eliminate the bidding process entirely.       

          If you would like to know more details about this new law, please contact your J&L sales representative or visit www.vgm.com

 Brian, Lynn & John

Owners of J & L Medical Services

     You can expect the same Caring, Competent, and Professional, service that made us the “Best Respiratory Provider” in the nation, as voted by HME News right here in Wethersfield. 

Our Mission

The mission of J & L Medical Services is to respect the dignity and improve the quality of life of our customers and caregivers we serve. Specializing in Respiratory and Home Medical Equipment, it is our goal to provide an atmosphere of caring, competent and professional services.  We value our co-workers and our community and support their growth.  We will advocate and challenge legislation on behalf of our customers.