Welcome to CSIHME

Open Letter to the independent HME provider community:

The very existence of the independent HME provider is being challenged by forces from many directions.  CMS consistently treats HME providers as a second-class element of the healthcare system.  Contractors to CMS responsible for serving the HME provider community treat us as guilty until proven innocent.

Congress, who ultimately is responsible for all of the laws affecting us, consistently views DME as part of a problem causing the high costs of healthcare and as overpaid commodity traders rather than a part of the solution.  Congress and CMS’s attempt to solve the budgetary problems with Medicare through both financial and regulatory actions are out of proportion with the size of the HME segment compared with the rest of the Medicare budget.

Savings projected from the oxygen cap and competitive bidding out of DMEPOS’s less than 1.7% portion of Medicare is hardly dust on the cover of the Medicare budget. The independent provider community represents more than 76% of the total Medicare expenditures and more than 98% of the total current supplier numbers, yet we have the smallest representation in Washington fighting for our future.

The founding members of CSIHME intend to change that by taking a new path to ensure the needs and goals of the independent HME provider community are met.  For a long period, the industry has taken various positions and directions that have proven to be ineffective in changing the political thinking about the HME industry.  CSIHME leadership believes that we cannot continue to do the same things and expect a different result.

This independent provider driven business league was formed solely to find and follow that different path to secure a different result.  CSIHME was created to retain a lobbyist and publicist to represent and advance the agenda of the HME industry from the independent, small business perspective.  We wish to work with all other parties who have a vested interest in those same goals.

We need your help to help us reach those goals.  We would like to have your participation, both your input on the message and your financial support to reach our goals.  Contributing to this non-profit company is a way to do that.  Your contribution will support the goals and your vote will give direction to the message.

Please contact email the CSIHME office at action@csihme.org  or contact one of the following for information:

• David Petsch, Managing Director (706)-863-6252
• Esta Willman, Member, Executive Committee (760)-365-6389
• Todd Tyson, Member, Executive Committee (770)-449-6785
• Shawn Steffey, Member, Executive Committee (540) -722-8180