Stimulus Bill Authorizes PAs, NPs and CNS to Order DME for Medicaid Beneficiaries on PERMANENT Basis

The COVID-19 stimulus legislation passed and signed into law last week contains provisions that will help streamline processes for our industry by allowing physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and clinical nurse specialists (CNS) to order DMEPOS and home health services for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Prior to this legislation, PAs, NPs and CNS were only able to order DMEPOS for Medicare beneficiaries, and could not order DMEPOS for individuals covered by Medicaid.

"These provisions will significantly improve Medicaid patient access to DMEPOS by allowing highly skilled physician assistants and nursing professionals to order these products and services," said Tom Ryan, president & CEO of the American Association for Homecare. "AAHomecare has worked with the American Academy of PAs and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in advocating for this policy change for the last few years."

"This is a policy change with positive long-term ramifications not only for DMEPOS suppliers, but also for patients, caregivers, and clinicians," added Ryan. "Our regulatory team has an impressive track record of cutting red-tape and clarifying requirements in recent years; this is a terrific addition to the list of those achievements."

The language requires the Dept. of Health and Human Services to develop regulatory guidance to enable these provisions to take effect within six months of the enactment of the legislation. AAHomecare will be collaborating with nursing and physician assistant organizations to ensure this change is implemented as quickly as possible. These changes are covered in section 3708 of the stimulus legislation and can be found on pages 372-379.