Archive: November 2004
Doug Harrison: The Sam Walton of Rehab
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
As much as anyone in the HME industry, Scooter Store founder Doug Harrison may be a victim of his own success.
By employing mass-marketing techniques and TV advertising to aggressively reach out to seniors, Harrison's share of the Medicare K0011 market reached an astonishing 57% in 2003.
Like Wal-Mart's founder Sam Walton, Harrison figured out a new way to deliver a product to the public. He realized that the power wheelchair market, like most retail markets, was shifting. Consumers can think for...
Legal
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
Get a new supplier number
with Kelly Pickens
Q. My HME company is expanding by purchasing small entities. If I purchase the stock of a DME/HME company, may I use the existing Medicare Supplier Number to avoid reimbursement delays?
A. Technically, the DMEPOS Supplier Standards prohibit a company or individual from allowing another company or individual to use its supplier number. The NSC has stated that even when a company is transferred via a stock sale, the buyer should not use the seller's supplier...
Briefs
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
Apria continues torrid pace of acquistions
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - During the third quarter of 2004, Apria closed six acquisitions totaling $37 million, resulting in year-to-date purchases of 26 businesses for an approximate value of $147 million, said Lawrence M. Higby, Apria's CEO. During the second and third quarters Apria had an unprecedented 19 acquisitions totaling $104 million and representing 75% more business than was acquired in the comparable period of 2003. Third quarter revenues were...
Three largest exhibitors
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
1: Sunrise
Whenever the term “Olympic-sized” is used to describe a venue, it immediately conjures up the image of something big. As the largest exhibitor at Medtrade, Longmont, Colo.-based Sunrise could modify the phrase to “Paralympic-sized.”
Using the theme “Improving peoples' lives one person at a time,” Sunrise is showcasing new technologies, offering a “sneak peek” into the future of its product lines. The 100' x 80' Sunrise booth will prominently...
Politics
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
Beat the fly-by- nighters
with Asela Cuervo
Q. Will accreditation stop fraud and abuse?
A. Many HME providers support mandatory compliance with quality standards and accreditation, yet there are others for whom these MMA provisions continue to be controversial, largely for reasons having to do with additional costs and administrative burdens. As well, many providers don't believe it will stop all fraud and abuse. While there is a grain of truth to this argument, putting an end to fraud and abuse...
Alternative reality
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
CONCORD, Calif. - By recently replacing his six diesel delivery trucks with vans that run on compressed natural gas, Cliff Woolard figures he'll cut his fuel costs per truck by $250 a month.
Indeed, when you consider that natural gas sells for about $1.31 a gallon, compared to $2.30 for gas in his area, its easy to see why the owner of Home Med-Equip is such an alternative fuel booster. But the cash savings are only part of CNG's appeal, Woolard said.
For example, CNG burns cleaner than gas or...
Recalls
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - In response to a Sept. 8 FDA recall notice for its LTV ventilators, Pulmonetic Systems Nov. 1 began sending out adapters to correct a power problem with 10,300 units.
The company planned to send out the adapters through November and expects to resolve the issue by the end of the year.
“Those adapters can be very easily attached to the power cord of the ventilator,” said Pulmonetic CEO, Jim Hickey. “Once they are attached, they are permanently attached and...
Briefs
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
Joe Lewarski joins Inogen
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Joseph Lewarski, RRT, a longtime respiratory provider and five-year leader of the AARC's home care section, has accepted a new position as vice president of clinical affairs at Inogen. Lewarski said the combination of people and product at Inogen lured him away from his job as president of Hytech Homecare in Mentor, Ohio, where he's worked since 1991 except for a two-year stint at the MED Group. “[Inogen] came in with no former bias, no engineering...
Get ready for FEHBP cuts
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. - A bill to repeal Medicare reimbursement cuts scheduled for 2005 has gained significant support in the House of Representatives but most likely won't be voted on this year.
That's the bad news. The good news is that, on average, the cuts to eight key DME items will average 40% less than expected, Cara Bachenheimer, Invacare's vice president of government relations reported during an educational session at October's Medtrade.
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 mandated that CMS...
Conferences: Provider picks
November 30, 2004HME News Staff
Seminar: Diabetes Supplies - The Game Has Changed
Speaker: David Sommerfeld
Time: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Since our company is only an hour drive from Medtrade this year, we plan on taking advantage of the educational seminars with as many of our staff as possible. Our company is very committed to servicing our diabetes customers. We understand how important the paperwork is to receive and keep Medicare reimbursement. Our focus has primarily been meter, strips and lancets, and we need to be aware of...