Jeff Barnhard Commits to Aligning Industry Message

WASHINGTON – Jeff Barnhard says he will bring a broad perspective to his new role as president of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care, thanks to a resume that includes roles with providers of all sizes.

“What I’ve seen that’s common across all of these different roles is that there’s still a drive for patient care and excellence in care,” said Barnhard, who was named Lincare CEO in 2023 and previously worked at Praxair. “We continue to see the need to build our reputation as a DME provider. We continue to face many regulatory challenges and we need to align our messaging to make changes.”

Barnhard recently spoke with HME News to dive deeper into some of his initial priorities as president, including building support for the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act, which was introduced to the Senate and House of Representatives earlier this year.

HME News: What do you see as the main challenges as President of the CQRC?

Jeff: Barnhard: Challenges related to patient access and reimbursement. Regarding patient access, I explained how, with non-invasive ventilation, we have seen a very high increase in the refusal rate over the last few years. Also for access to oxygen, this is what led us to put in place the SOAR Act. And then from a reimbursement perspective, we’re not getting clean reimbursement and (there’s) a need for very clear quantitative measurements around oxygen instead of (getting the) chart notes.

HME: What has been the response to the SOAR Act?

Barnard: It was very good. In my experience, it’s rare that there are so many groups online and pushing for the same thing. We have doctors who say there is a problem with access to high purity oxygen and high flow oxygen; Patient groups are also looking for a solution, particularly young patients (with) cystic fibrosis or lung transplant recipients (who have difficulty accessing) the quantity and quality of oxygen they need. So a lot of groups are saying, “Okay, this seems like a solution that can work for all of us.” When I’ve spent time in Washington, legislators have already talked to some of these patient groups and they’re wondering how they can support this, so we’re starting to get a number of legislators to buy into this.

HME: Do you think the HME industry has managed to better align its messaging?

Barnard: It’s one of those things that we could always do better, but it’s incredibly important to have that consistent message and make sure that there’s no conflict when we’re talking to people on the Hill or other stakeholders, because we don’t want to come across as if we don’t know what we want. Having that frank conversation before we go to legislators helps us move our agenda forward in a very succinct way.