home medical equipment

The new Republican-controlled House of Representatives has created a dramatic shift in power, mood and momentum in the new 112th Congress. The dynamics are somewhat different in the Senate, however. Republicans picked up several seats there but not enough to achieve a majority. In the Senate, 60 votes are necessary to prevent a filibuster and allow bills to move to a vote on the floor. Therefore, before any bill can move through the Senate, the Democratic majority will need to have a good number of Republicans supporting the measure, as well.

That old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" aptly summarizes HME providers' recent experience with Congress' and the administration's mandates. My impression, overall, is that providers do their very best to keep up and respond to each new initiative. In two very important areas, however, providers seem to be unprepared.

Sunrise Medical's most recent financial performance is the "the best the company has seen in many years," company CEO Thomas Rossnagel told HME News in early October. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the company's global revenues exceeded $370 million, with about 40% of that coming from North America. Rossnagel did not have time for an interview with HME News regarding the company's most recent fiscal performance, but he did take time to respond to some written questions.

Invacare continued its march toward greater operational efficiency in November, announcing that it had consolidated sales forces and product portfolios with Motion Concepts, a subsidiary that specializes in seating and positioning products.

By Mike Moran Executive Editor

HME providers that are using their new-generation billing systems strictly for claims processing are barely scratching the surface of what this modern equipment can do, software vendors say. With multi-functionality for clinical, administrative and financial operations, the automated billing system has come a long way, observes Spencer Kay, president of Plainview, N.Y.-based Fastrack Healthcare Systems

The VGM Group didn't mess around when it came to hiring its first-ever president of VGM Education.

Healthcare Equipment & Supply Co. is on a roll. Late last year, the HME provider opened not one, but two retail showrooms: a 3,000-square-foot showroom in Farmington and an 800-square-foot showroom in Austin Pharmacy Plaza in Potosi.

It took six years for Home Health Depot to grow from one location to 12. But the provider's acquisition of e-commerce and consumer catalog business Rite at Home Health Care Products in October made the company a national player overnight.

AdvaCare Home Services has created a new brand that makes it crystal clear the company does way more than just drop off equipment at a patient's home.
"We want patients to be able to stay at home and be happy and healthy and recover," said CEO Tammy Zelenko. "That has always been part of our mission and our vision, but how do we make that happen, and how, visually, do you portray that?"