Medical-equipment provider says it’s owed at least $1.4 million by Medicaid
Problems with a new statewide billing and payment system for Medicaid have plunged a 40-year-old, Portland-Vancouver area company into a bureaucratic ordeal that has sapped its revenue, led it to complain to elected officials and thrown its future in doubt.
And it’s not the only one. Across Washington state, critics of the new billing system believe that several hundred companies that provide medical equipment to patients have faced at least some problems.
Just how far-reaching those problems are remains a matter of dispute. State officials say problems are much more contained than frustrated business owners let on.
At issue is ProviderOne, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services’ complex new $164 million computerized system for handling millions in payments for medical and nursing home care to thousands of health care providers, including doctors and pharmacies.
Leaders of Portland-based Care Medical & Rehabilitation Equipment, whose Vancouver office represents about 20 percent of the company’s sales, said monthly revenue from Medicaid billings have dropped drastically because of glitches with ProviderOne. As a result, the company has been left with roughly $1.4 million in unpaid claims and mounting concerns over its ability to meet payroll and to serve customers. The company sells everything from wheelchairs to respiratory equipment.
“We’re profitable, but it’s a struggle every day,” said Angelene Adler, vice president of operations for Care Medical, which employs 350 people in Washington and Oregon.
No comments:
Post a Comment