Government Affairs Activities

Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative
Legislation was introduced in 2008 called The Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative. This legislation would revise the Medicare program to permit certain highly qualified respiratory therapists to provide a variety of respiratory therapy services, such as smoking cessation, asthma management and MDI device selection and patient education to Medicare patients without the physician having to physically be in the office. If enacted, this new benefit will enhance patient access to respiratory therapists in the physician’s office. We are working to gain support through Congressional co-sponsorship. These bills will be reintroduced in 2009.

Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation
After several years of effort Congress enacted legislation that creates an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation benefit under the Medicare program. The benefit will be implemented nationwide on January 1, 2010. The AARC, along with representatives of the pulmonary community, worked diligently for the passage of this benefit. Now the same organizations are working on the next step, recommending the details to the Medicare program on how this benefit should be specifically be constructed. Our goal is to assure that all details will be worked out with the Medicare program so there will be seamless implementation on January 1, 2010.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and COPD Action Plan
COPD (the fourth leading cause of death in America) receives limited focus by government health agencies, despite the 16 million Americans who are diagnosed with this chronic disease. The AARC, along with like minded associations, is advocating Congress to provide funding to the CDC to specifically track, collect data and do focused research on COPD.

Competitive Bidding
Although implementation of the Medicare Competitive Bidding Program was postponed from 18 to 24 months by Congress in 2008, there continues to be concern that the program could be resurrected by Congress at some future point in time.

AARC has been following and providing input on the Competitive Bidding process over the 12 years in which it has developed. In the 1990s, AARC past President Patrick Dunne was the respiratory therapy community’s representative to the Medicare’s National Technical Experts Panel on the development of the competitive bidding endeavor. Our concern was and continues to be that Medicare recognize the service component that suppliers provide in the delivery of home respiratory equipment.

Read correspondence related to the AARC’s involvement in the competitive bidding process:

• 1998—To HCFA (predecessor of CMS)
• 1999—To HCFA
• 2000—To DMEPOS
• 2002—To Congress

Respiratory Therapy Representation to a Key Medicare Advisory Committee
Karen Stewart, MS, RRT, FAARC has been appointed to the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee. This federal committee advises the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on whether specific medical items and services are reasonable and necessary under Medicare law.

Oxygen Use On Airlines
AARC has long supported federal action to require airlines to permit patients who use approved portable oxygen concentrators on board the airplanes. After several years where this was an option for airlines, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final regulation which mandates airlines to do so beginning in mid-2009. The AARC applauds the foresight of the DOT in their recognition and support of oxygen dependent patients.

RTs and Disaster Response
The Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Mass Casualty Planning, has recognized that the nation needs to have a cohort of respiratory therapists who can be called up by the Federal government in times of natural or manmade emergencies. Two hundred RTs are needed. The AARC is working with the federal government to meet these goals. Recognizing that in case of a pandemic flu event, the demand for ventilators will be intense, the AARC has developed a document to be used by the state, local and federal governments on the appropriate acquisition of ventilators. Click here to read the Ventilator document.

Congressional COPD Caucus
Continues to work with Congressional COPD Caucus to raise the profile and advocate for legislation that targets and addresses the needs of the pulmonary patient.

Tobacco/Smoking Cessation
AARC continues to participate in Coalition efforts to better regulate the tobacco industry. Our focus is both national (support for greater government regulation over tobacco products) and state directed. Our focus on states issues range from supporting increased excise taxes on tobacco products, supporting state efforts to restrict smoking in the work and other public places and urging states to effectively allocate Tobacco Settlement funds for health promotion and smoking cessation activities.

The AARC has analyzed and provided an extensive “members only” document that explains the recent Medicare coverage policy on smoking cessation. You may find this document on the AARC website.

CPT Codes
The AARC has a representative on the Health Care Advisory Committee to the AMA’s CPT Coding Editorial Panel. The Editorial Panel assesses the requests for and determines the need for new procedure codes. This provides the AARC with an opportunity to comment, from the respiratory therapy perspective on any proposed changes including additions, revisions and deletions of codes.

Asthma Awareness
The AARC participates in the annual Asthma Awareness Day on Capitol Hill, with the goal of educating members of Congress and their staff on this important issue. Respiratory therapists volunteer to provide spirometry testing to the public and Capitol Hill Congressional staff. We also provide information on the profession of respiratory therapy.