Skip to Content

Briefs: Sleep provider enjoys growth

Briefs: Sleep provider enjoys growth

OKLAHOMA CITY - Graymark Healthcare saw an increase in its CPAP business during the fourth quarter of 2010, the provider reported Jan. 4. CPAP set-ups were up 16% over the same time period in 2009, while re-supply shipments were up 75%. Overall, Graymark did more than 3,000 CPAP set-ups and shipped more than 6,400 re-supply orders in 2010. Over the past year, the provider has focused on building its sleep business. In May, it launched an e-commerce site, cpap-supplies.com, and in December, it sold its Apothecary Rx retail pharmacy business to Walgreens.

Neb-med numbers don't add up

WASHINGTON - In 2008 and the first half of 2009, Medicare paid South Florida suppliers for 7 million units of the nebulizer medication arformoterol (brand name Brovana). The problem: the drug manufacturer and the three largest wholesalers only sold 750,000 units in the area, says a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG looked at claims for arformoterol and compared the claims to the number of units sold to South Florida suppliers. The OIG also looked at claims for budesonide (brand name Pulmicort), using an edit that was implemented in 2008 to detect and deny excessive claims of the drug. In the six months after the edit was in place, nearly 30% of suppliers stopped billing for budesonide, says the OIG. However, payments for arformoterol more than doubled.

Enteral market on upward swing

DALLAS - Total sales of enteral nutrition products hit $3.6 billion in 2009, according to a new report from Dallas-based Sandler Research, a market research firm. About 41.2% of sales were in the United States; 3.2% in Canada; and 55.5% in Europe. Sales of the products are expected to grow 7% annually through 2014, reaching about $5.1 billion. Patients with neuromuscular conditions accounted for the greatest number of sales, followed by cancer patients and nutritional depletion/malnutrition patients. New market opportunities include patients suffering from obesity, diabetes, respiratory illness and seniors. For more information: www.sandlerresearch.org.

Short take

Decatur, Ala.-based Instant Diagnostic Systems (IDS) was awarded Joint Commission accreditation, it announced Jan. 5. IDS specializes in home oximetry and sleep testing.

Comments

To comment on this post, please log in to your account or set up an account now.