Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Heat turned up on oxygen suppliers

State officials look at Tampa Bay providers and refer all of them for further investigation.

By KRIS HUNDLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published December 15, 2007

TAMPA - Florida Medicaid officials want home oxygen suppliers to know they're under scrutiny. And so far, officials don't like what they see.

During a press conference here Friday, authorities said an initial inspection of eight oxygen providers in the Tampa Bay area raised sufficient concerns that each company will be referred for further investigation. No charges have been filed against any of the companies, which include Lincare Holdings Inc. of Clearwater, the nation's largest provider of home oxygen services.

Promising to "battle the bad guys," Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration, said authorities will work together to make sure "those who siphon valuable dollars from vulnerable people are taken care of."

The state chose to focus on devices called oxygen concentrators because they cost the Medicaid program $8-million in rental fees each year. That devices produce oxygen for patients with emphysema and other lung diseases and are Medicaid's most expensive piece of durable medical equipment, or DME. Last fiscal year, Medicaid reimbursements for oxygen equipment in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties topped $845,000.

Agwunobi said inspections this week at local oxygen companies included document reviews and customer interviews. Problems were uncovered at every site, he said. Among the issues: billing for equipment that was never delivered, unlicensed installers and inadequately serviced equipment.

Agwunobi said preliminary findings would be referred to the state Attorney General's Office for possible civil or criminal charges, to the Department of Health regarding permitting issues and possibly to Medicare.

Several executives with DME suppliers visited by state inspectors said they were surprised at the negative feedback. "They told me everything looked okay," said Robert Arado, owner of CareMed Respiratory Services in Tampa.

Gary Anzulewicz, president of Respitek Inc. in Tampa, said he loses money on Medicaid customers. "Unfortunately, more providers are going to say they don't want to be a Medicaid provider," he said. "Then who's going to provide quality service to those people?"

Fast facts

The companies
During the past week, Florida Medicaid officials visited the following eight oxygen providers in the Tampa Bay area:

- ASAP Home Oxygen, St. Petersburg
- BayCare Home Care, Largo
- CareMed Respiratory Services, Tampa
- Lincare in Plant City, Brandon and Largo
- Matrix Medical, Plant City
- Mercury Enterprises, Clearwater
- Respitek Inc., Tampa
- Rotech Oxygen & Medical Equipment, Tampa

Kris Hundley can be reached at hundley@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2996.

[Last modified December 14, 2007, 23:15:38]