Archive: March 2002
MED University goes public with new courses
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
LUBBOCK, Texas - After a year and a half as a private educational resource for MED Group members, MED University is going public.
The new MED University Mastery Program debuts April 22 and offers targeted online training in eight job categories for MED and non-MED members.
Those categories are repair (rehab and respiratory); driver/delivery technician (rehab and respiratory); sales; general warehouse staff; receptionist/general office staff; customer service rep; and reimbursement specialist.
The...
URAC to add DSM accreditation
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A non-profit organization that accredits the utilization management programs of managed care companies now has plans to foray into accrediting DSM programs, too.
This month, the board of directors of URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, is slated to approve a set of standards that will be used to accredit the DSM programs of healthcare providers, according to Liza Greenberg, v.p. of research and quality.
"Our strategy is to keep pace with how health...
RATC releases bid package for rehab accreditation program
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - After two years of work, AAHomecare's Re/hab and Assistive Technology Council (RATC) anticipated releasing its RFP for a rehab accreditation program the first of this month.
The council was expected to give the RFP its final nod of approval at its meeting in late March and to release the proposal on April 1, according to Mary-Lacey Reuther, executive director of RATC. The RFP, which RATC had originally planned to release Jan. 1, calls for the development of standards to measure...
Shifting gears
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
OLD FORGE, Pa. - Lured by brighter prospects in the rehabilitation and respiratory products markets, Invacare has decided to quit selling lift chairs and is helping to transition about $10 million in annual business to Golden Technologies.
An agreement between the two companies, announced April 15, puts Golden in charge of servicing Invacare's chairs still under warranty. Invacare will hold on to its current inventory of lift chairs through June and will supply parts through the end of the year.
Meanwhile,...
Question & Answer
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
Ostomy supplies: 'It's just not worth it.'
REDDING, Calif. - Owen's Healthcare, a franchise of Option Care, has decided to sell its ostomy business (about 300 patients) to the Valencia, Calif.-based Shield Healthcare. It's not unusual for suppliers to shed the notoriously low-margin medical supplies business to focus on the more profitable respiratory and DME businesses. But CMS just released new ostomy codes earlier this year, and it's slated to release an updated - and providers hope - more profitable...
Incontinence products come 'out of the closet'
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
Sales of incontinence products like so many other segments of HME are rising with the swelling tide of potential new users in the marketplace. An ever-aging population, combined with the de-stigmatized image of adult diapers has providers searching for ways to get a bigger share of the business.
How providers formulate sales strategies to attract customers depends on myriad factors, such as brand, demographics, product mix and marketing philosophy. Consultant Alison Cherney, president of Brentwood,...
Region D: HMEs can help with oximetry testing
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A recent statement by Region D Medical Director Robert Hoover appears to have muddied the waters when it comes to HMEs and pulse oximetry testing.
Because of a perceived conflict of interest in requalifying their own oxygen patients, the DMERCs have traditionally looked down on providers playing a role in oximetry testing.
However, in January, Janet Peterson, who owns Peterson Oximetry Services in Modesto Calif., an independent testing facility (IDTF), asked Hoover two questions:
1....
Mr. Magoo had obstructive sleep apnea
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
CLEVELAND, Ohio - People with round heads face a greater risk of sleep apnea and chronic snoring than those with thin faces, researchers from Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University have found.
Researchers compared the head shapes of 60 people who snore and 60 others with no history of snoring. They created a "craniofacial risk index" using X-rays to measure the distance from teeth to esophagus, nose to nasal passage and cheek to jaw.
"As the head gets relatively wider, the airway becomes relatively...
Politics
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
How do you spell disaster?
WITH TOM CONNAUGHTON
Q. Is the President's proposal for competitive bidding anything to worry about? Is Florida Medicaid's proposal a concern?
A. My concerns about competitive bidding continue to grow. The President's proposal for nationwide competitive bidding for DME has engendered significant interest on Capitol Hill. The staffs of the Ways & Means Committee and the Commerce Committee in the House are delving into this subject, and Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) continues...
Rehab Designs moves into new digs
March 31, 2002HME News Staff
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rehab Designs Inc. wheeled into a new, 3,500-square-foot space last month. The company, which specializes in high-end power wheelchairs and custom pediatric wheelchairs, had been operating out of a handful of spaces within the same building. But now, its front office, showroom and service department are housed in one space in that building, according to Tim Barrett, operations manager. Now he doesn't have to guide customers from one space to the next, Barrett said. More importantly,...