Orbit Medical Reacts to Cuts in Medicare's Home Oxygen Therapy

Beginning January 1, 2009, many changes will be made that are going to affect Orbit Medical's oxygen products due to the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. The act limits the transfer of ownership of oxygen equipment to patients after the 36 month rental period. Under the new guidelines, the rental period will end after 36 months but rather than transferring ownership to the patient, the equipment will still be owned by the supplier. The supplier must continue to provide maintenance, supplies and services for the patient's oxygen equipment for no further payments. The supplier is required to pay for these services for an additional 2 years (five years total) as long as the oxygen is still medically necessary.

Gaining accreditation is a voluntary activity that establishes Orbit Medical’s commitment to uphold the high standards that have been put in place by the industry’s regulatory bodies. Accreditation is not easy to attain; health providers must go through a rigorous review of ninety-six different qualifying standards and criteria in eight areas of business operations. Orbit Medical was responsible for submitting a review on the following business practices:

• Documented internal policies and procedures
• A checklist of our best practices
• Reviews of training and fiscal management records
• Quality improvement measures and corrective actions
• Customer satisfaction rates and improvement measures

ACHC then performs on-site visits to validate each standard. The Accreditation Commission for Health Care interviewed Orbit Medical’s staff members to research levels of training, product management, and health and safety standards. ACHC also reviewed customer satisfaction rates using a variety of methods, including contacting customers directly. Once ACHC had considered the entire body of evidence, they determined that Orbit Medical had indeed met the standards to become ACHC Accredited.