Thank you! The petition has over 1,000 signatures as of this morning. That is a great accomplishment for the AAC community. Keep sharing and caring about
issues that are changing how SGDs are funded and categorized.
From: Nick Dougherty [mailto:xxxxxx@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2014 10:58 AM
To: xxxxxx@alsa.simplelists.com; Hill, Katharine Joan
Subject: Re: Speak Out Against CMS capped rental rule
Thank you for sharing! Everyone at the
VerbalCare office just signed.
Fingers crossed it makes a difference!
Nick Dougherty
Co-Founder | VerbalCare
745 Atlantic Avenue | Boston, MA 02111
617.680.8525 | xxxxxx@verbalapp.co
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On Mon, Mar 24, 2014 at 9:53 AM, Hill, Katharine Joan <xxxxxx@pitt.edu> wrote:
I would like to encourage everyone on the list to sign the petition requesting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove SGDs from the capped rental rule.
This rule starts on April 1st and creates a 13 month rental period before individuals with ALS will own their selected SGD. If at any time during these 13 months the person enters a hospital, rehab facility, SNF or starts hospice, the rented SGD
is removed with the expectation that the health care facility will provide the DME. Once discharged the assessment and a new rental period must be started to have SGD access.
You can see a video presented by Chris Klein, President of USSAAC created with the support of the AAC Institute and sign the petition at
Change.org by clicking
http://chn.ge/1pfl67f . For updates on what you can do join the AAC Institute on Facebook or go to
www.aacinstitute.org and click on Speak out against CMS capped rental rule.
Please, consider sharing with all those impacted by the CMS capped rental rule. Although professionals’ funding will not be changed, the capped rental rule has a dramatic impact
on ownership of a personal SGD and therefore quality of life for those we serve. If clinical professionals are petitioning to repeal the therapy cap rule which significantly impacts CMS funding, then professionals are obligated to support requesting SGD removal
from DME capped rental.
Thank you for your consideration and willingness to take action in solidarity with Medicare beneficiaries.
Katya
Katya Hill, PhD, CCC-SLP
Associate Professor
AAC Performance and Testing Teaching Lab
6017 Forbes Tower
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260