durable medical equipment

BISMARCK, N.D. - While providers in most states are seeing Medicaid reimbursement dwindle, HME providers here received an across-the-board increase of 3%.

These two questions recently landed in the email inbox of Jeff Baird: What's the difference between 1099 and W2 employees, and can I employ a medical director? Here's what Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Amarillo, Texas-based Brown & Fortunato, had to say.

Industry consultant Alison Cherney says "everyone wants to get into managed care" these days.

WASHINGTON - The mad rush for HME providers to get accredited after Medicare began requiring it in 2009 is starting up again, says Bob Weir, an accreditation consultant and surveyor. Weir has been conducting surveys all over the country and took a break to give providers some survey advice.

Members of AMEPA on July 28 wrapped up a two-week lobbying trip that took them from San Diego to Seattle--all of which are metropolitan statistical areas on the West Coast that are included in Round 2 of competitive bidding.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Enos Home Oxygen and Medical Supply is adding a new online store to its website, a move the provider hopes will pay off in the future.

When Richard Davis wanted to create a realistic--and rewarding--pay scale for his employees, he turned to the experts: his fellow HME providers. Davis, vice president of customer satisfaction and human resources for Valdosta, Ga.-based Barnes Healthcare, created a salary survey that he shared through LinkedIn and various state associations. He spoke with HME News recently about why it's important to not only pay a fair wage, but to create incentives for employees to grow.

YARMOUTH, Maine - Becoming more professional is better for business, better for patients and better for profitability, Joel Marx, president of Cleveland-based Medical Service Co. and AAHomecare chairman told HME News TV recently.

ATLANTA - Medtrade and the home medical industry have always been inextricably linked in their challenges and successes over the decades--so much so that as HME providers have struggled financially with dramatic Medicare changes and a fragile overall economy, so has the industry's marquee event.

America's expanding waistlines show no sign of slowing down anytime soon, so the market for bariatric products remains strong, manufacturers say. An increasing number of expansive, heavy-duty products are being made for an emerging demographic that includes both genders and all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics.