US House of Representatives Sub-Committee to Hear from Small Medical Equipment Companies

Published on Wednesday, February 04, 2009

A Press Release from the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Dealers (NCAMES)

CARY, NC - FEBRUARY 9, 2009. The North Carolina Association for Medical Equipment Services has been successful in working with Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-D-11) to plan a hearing with the Small Business Committee. Mr. Shuler serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship and was honored as the 2008 NCAMES Legislator of the Year Award for his work as a champion of the durable medical equipment (DME) industry.

This hearing will focus on the effects that the DME National Competitive Bidding Program has had on small businesses across the country. It will take place at 10:00am on Wednesday, Feb. 11 during the “Homecare on Capitol Hill Day,” hosted by the American Association for Homecare.

NCAMES is proud to announce that [NCAMES and VGM member] Bill Griffin, owner of Griffin Home Health Care in Charlotte, N.C. will testify at the Feb. 11 hearing. Griffin was involved in Round One of National Competitive Bidding and he shared that this program would, “be devastating to small business but greater will be the far reaching negative impact on patient-care, services to patrons, families, and caregivers in the community”.

Additional witnesses from other Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), along with those from related industries and CMS staff will also be called to testify. All witnesses will testify before the members of the Small Business Committee and will then answer questions relating to their testimony or about the topic at hand.

Because the timing of the hearing coincides with a homecare lobbying day and many small businesses have been adversely affected by National Competitive Bidding, NCAMES expects a large crowd to gather during this hearing.