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Archive: April 2005


News

Permobil rehabs... a house

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

LEBANON, Tenn. -- Permobil has renovated a 5,000-square-foot ranch home near its corporate headquarters as a home away from home for the 10-15 dealer groups it cycles through annually. In the past, Permobil hosted its customers at downtown Nashville hotels. "We wanted to have an environment that's more like a home, so we bought a home," said Barry Steelman, Permobil's director of marketing. "We'll have meals cooked in the house, and there's a swimming pool out back." Permobil was inspired to...

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Study: Diabetes a $40 billion world market

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

NEW YORK -- The market for diabetes monitoring and therapeutic products totaled nearly $40 billion in the top seven world markets in 2004, according to a new study. The study, Diabetes and Diabetic Complications: Major World Markets, found significant geographic variation in market opportunity. Country-specific regulations, public health priorities, demographics and patterns of clinical and reimbursement practice all contribute to the different growth rates and forecasts. Glucose monitor sales, for...

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If the shoe fits ... thank a pedorthist

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

MARIETTA, Ga. -- The pedorthist has a legitimate role in diabetic shoe provision, and it's time legislators gave it the recognition it deserves, a coalition of footwear manufacturers contends. Since 2000, the vendor community has made a concerted lobbying effort for a federal law that mandates certification for all pedorthists engaged in fitting therapeutic shoes for diabetic clients. Legal recognition of pedorthists elevates the position to the same level as other medical fitters, such as orthotists...

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Texas, Illinois consider making certification mandatory

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

YARMOUTH -- State legislators in Texas and Illinois this Spring are considering rehab provider certification bills that have popped up in their state houses this legislative cycle. The two states have bills introduced that would require providers there to become RESNA certified or members of NRRTS. Providers and consumer groups championed Texas's proposed Consumer Protection Act for Wheeled Mobility with guidance from Permobil's director of government affairs, Darren Jernigan, who has helped...

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How compliance can pay off

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

Q. The OIG continues to emphasize the importance of compliance programs to keep companies current on regulations and in the Fall Semi-Annual report for 2004, the OIG boasts of convictions and recoupements made. Does compliance pay off in boosting a company's financial performance? A. I presented this question to Gene Crisman, former president and COO of Home Care Supply. Sure, a compliance program makes the company money through company culture and marketing and through the cost of non-compliance...

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CMS keeps ASP drug pricing stable

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

BALTIMORE -- Sepracor's respiratory drug Xopenex again saw the upshot of the new ASP drug reimbursement with a 34-cent boost under CMS's second-quarter Part B drug fees released earlier this month -- the only significant change in the new pricing, said industry sources. "Xopenex continues to be a big surprise, and we are happy with that because there were so many years that we provided it with really no reimbursement and patients struggled to get it," said Harold Davis, director of operations for...

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CMS lowers oxygen payments by 8.6%

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

BALTIMORE -- CMS has lowered oxygen payment rates by an average of 8.6% for stationary oxygen and 8.1% for portable oxygen. The new rates, which vary from state to state, took effect in early April. CMS posted the new rates March 30 after a re-analysis of payment rates between the Medicare program and more than 50 Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans. CMS has no plans to retroactively adjust payment rates for 2005 claims that were filed using the 2004 rates. After CMS posed the new rates on March...

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CMS will help smokers kick the habit

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

WASHINGTON -- Medicare's upcoming prescription drug benefit will cover smoking cessation treatments prescribed by a physician, CMS announced in late March. Researchers estimate that smoking accounts for about 10% of the total cost of the Medicare program or about $20.5 billion in 1997. On average, nonsmokers survived 1.6-3.9 years longer than those who have never smoked."Millions of Medicare beneficiaries have smoked for many years and are now experiencing the heart problems, respiratory problems,...

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Rotech outlines plans for revenue growth

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

ORLANDO, Fla. -- After cutting employees and other expenses over the past several years, Rotech now believes it has a "competitive cost structure" and can direct its efforts away from turnaround activities and toward growing revenue and patient care, the company announced last month. The company has coined the new slogan, "We Care About Patient Care", and expects revenue growth to come from, among other things, new branches, new clinical programs, a new pharmacy, increased mnanaged care business...

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Power Ox makes a power play

April 30, 2005HME News Staff

DECATUR, Ala. -- Letco Companies, whose PowerOx system quickly secured a vast customer base with its home oximetry testing technology, has scrapped the PowerOx for the new Instant Diagnostic System (IDS). Letco President Mickey Letson said the transition to IDS will be transparent for the 2,500 customers who are using PowerOx technology on the handheld Palm devices they use to collect and encrypt oximetry data. Unlike PowerOx, Letson said, IDS results can be transmitted to more than one lab.