SOAR ACT INTRODUCTION – RESPIRATORY CARE TRANSFORMATION BEGINS

Senators Cassidy (R-LA), Warner (D-VA) and Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) legislation. The legislation is based on the 4 pillars of Medicare oxygen payment reform that the AARC has supported with many others in a broad coalition of patients, providers and the durable medical equipment (DME) industry. What happens next? We begin our advocacy efforts with the Senate by asking Senators to co-sponsor the SOAR Act - bill number S 3821. 

The SOAR Act will help fix the problems created by the Medicare Competitive Bidding Program, and of great importance to the respiratory care profession the SOAR Act will establish a service benefit to pay respiratory therapists to see oxygen patients outside the care facility and in their home which has never existed before under the DME benefit. The 3rd pillar of reform creates a statutory service element to provide adequate reimbursement for respiratory therapists to ensure patients have access to their expertise. 

The SOAR Act is good news for patients who require supplemental oxygen and for the respiratory care profession!

We expect the US House of Representatives to introduce identical legislation in the coming weeks. This legislation represents a major transformation for respiratory care and the care environment for respiratory therapists. 

The legislation is based on 4 Pillars of reform 

1. Ensure supplemental oxygen is patient-centric 

2. Ensure access to liquid oxygen for patients for whom it is medically necessary 

3. Create a statutory service element to provide adequate reimbursement for respiratory therapists to ensure patients have access to their expertise

4. To ensure predictable and adequate reimbursement and to protect against fraud and abuse, establish national standardized documentation requirements that rely upon a template rather than prescriber medical records to support claims for supplemental oxygen suppliers.