OPINION:
When I was 18, I was paralyzed in a school bus accident. For the past four decades, I’ve relied on catheters to do something most people never think about: go to the bathroom.
Finding the right supplies took a lot of trial and error with my doctor and medical equipment provider. When people like me finally find products that work, we stick with them — because the wrong product can cause serious complications.
Now, a federal Medicare rule could take that stability away.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to restart and expand its “competitive bidding” program for urological and ostomy supplies, limiting contracts to fewer than 10 companies nationwide — a 92% reduction in suppliers.
If someone’s current equipment provider doesn’t win a contract, they’ll be forced to switch products and suppliers, regardless of medical need.
Policymakers must understand that these supplies are not interchangeable commodities. There are more than 1,300 intermittent catheter products on the market, each differing in size, flexibility, coating and design. Doctors select them based on a patient’s anatomy, dexterity and condition.
That customization is what keeps patients healthy.
For catheter users, the wrong product can quickly lead to urinary tract infections that, in severe cases, can become sepsis, a leading cause of hospitalization. Ostomy patients face similar risks: leakage, skin damage and infection. One analysis found more than one-third develop skin complications within 90 days of surgery.
If the new rule leads to more infections, more complications and more hospital visits, Medicare won’t save money. It will spend more elsewhere.
I know this personally not only as a patient, but as the owner of a medical supply company. Providers do more than provide products. We educate patients, understand their medical history, help prevent complications and maintain ongoing relationships that directly affect outcomes.
Under the new system, many smaller, community-based providers may disappear, especially in rural areas like mine. Patients could lose access to trusted providers and necessary supplies.
CMS still has time to rethink this proposal. If it doesn’t, Congress should step in to ensure that patients retain access to the products and providers they depend on.
For Washington, this may look like a budget line item. For patients like me, it’s about whether we can live safely and independently.
Founder, Summit Services & Supplies
Kemmerer, Wyoming
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