durable medical equipment

A. In these trying and difficult times as a Medicare supplier, it's essential that you implement new procedures into your business to maintain patient loyalty.

A. Sending your repair tech on a 40-mile drive to perform a minor repair on a wheelchair is more than a nuisance; it really hurts the bottom line.

SALT LAKE CITY - Anyone looking for three steps to HME success won't get it from Jay Broadbent.

Having lived and traveled in both France and other parts of Europe for several years, I believe that what we Americans think of as "cutting edge" reform and tools have been in place overseas for decades (See "CMS takes new approach to fraud," HME News, August 2011). Our government must very quickly revamp the current archaic system of Medicare and reimbursement. American private insurance companies are gouging the public with little coverage and huge premiums, which continue to rise without any effective government oversight.

Would you rather be a gravedigger or a funeral director? What about a used car salesman or a seller of certified pre-owned vehicles? Why would the personnel department change its name to the human resources department? All these titles have something in common; they evoke a response, a judgment of the value of these positions. It is about perception.

If you're like me, and you follow the Medicare Market Marker on our Databank page each month (partly because I have to put it together, but mostly because I find it interesting), you probably raised an eyebrow while reviewing the last few issues.

FRANKFORT, Ky. - HME providers here are none-too-happy with the terms of new state managed care contracts, which they say pay as much as 30% less than what was originally agreed upon.

YARMOUTH, Maine - It's not the first time HME providers have felt like they landed on the short end of the stick when it comes to accreditation.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - HME stakeholders here are trying to make sure that providers don't get left out when the state starts using managed care organizations for all of its Medicaid recipients.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, is less and less of a viable business for providers, they say.