Archive: October 2006
Dinner honors Mixon, raises money for patients
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
ATLANTA - Acknowledging all he's done for the HME industry over the past 30 years, AAHomecare named Invacare CEO Mal Mixon its humanitarian of the year at a gala event during Medtrade.
"He never stops--he's a bull dog," AAHomecare Chairman Tom Ryan told the crowd of about 300 attendees. "This is a guy you want in your corner. This is a homecare champion."
In addition to being a very visible HME supporter on Capitol Hill, Mixon played an instrumental role last year in making sure lawmakers didn't...
Sunrise's Hammes: 'Face reality'
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
ATLANTA - If the industry hopes for more than "flashes of success" when it comes to reimbursement and policy issues, providers must consistently involve patients in HME lobbying efforts.
"We need something deeper and more persuasive," said Sunrise Medical CEO Mike Hammes.
When it comes to lobbying for industry issues, screaming about "self-serving" arguments fall on deaf ears, Hammes said. The industry must partner with end-users to build credibility--credibility that HMEs are part of the healthcare...
FBI accuses shoemaker of fraud
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
MEQUON, Wisc. - Federal officials have accused a manufacturer of diabetic shoes of obtaining Medicare approval for one product but selling another, defrauding the agency of $18 million.
In an affidavit unsealed Oct. 10, former CEO David Schlageter told FBI agents that, over a period of 18 months, Dr. Comfort sold heat-molded shoe inserts that did not meet new Medicare standards, according to an article in a local newspaper. In January 2004, Medicare announced that starting in June 2004, inserts would...
VGM applies to bid as NCB network
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa - All the industry's major provider organizations have plans to help their members form networks to participate in competitive bidding, but in September The VGM Group put its money where its mouth is.
VGM has submitted an application to become a "network primary supplier," officially kicking off the paperwork process required for its members to form and bid as a network. In the process, VGM formed a new entity, Homecare Providers of America.
"We're really doing it," said Jim Walsh,...
MED dials into telemedicine
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
LUBBOCK, Texas - The parties involved in a new telemedicine equipment distribution agreement are heralding it as a touchstone moment for the HME industry. Representatives from Lubbock, Texas-based MED Group and Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Cybernet Medical confirmed their partnership at Medtrade in September.
Under the new pact, MED Group members will have the opportunity to become sales and distribution agents for Cybernet's new MedStar telemonitoring device. Cybernet fashioned MedStar after its NASA...
'Zero hour' here for competitive bidding
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
ATLANTA - Sometime next year, HME providers in 10 metropolitan statistical areas will be dealing with competitive bidding for Medicare-reimbursed equipment and supplies. For them, time is growing very short.
Two speakers addressed the urgency of the issue for Medtrade attendees in separate programs in September, with healthcare attorney Denise Fletcher outlining potential scenarios over the next year, while consultant Wallace Weeks instructed providers on how to assemble a competitive bidding "toolbox."
Questions...
Outsourcing service: A new trend?
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio - Leveraging its partnership with a repair and maintenance specialty contractor, Invacare has rolled out a new service program as an option for providers who do not want to handle that part of power mobility sales.
The Five Star Service Program--officially rolled out last month--allows mobility providers to outsource the service component to Roadrunner Mobility, a Richardson, Texas-based company that specializes in power mobility equipment repair. The idea, says Invacare Vice President...
Campaign for rehab bills continues
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Although its focus remains CMS's new policies for power mobility devices, the rehab industry also plans to spend the next two months collecting sponsors for three bills.
The newest: A bill in the House of Representatives that, like a bill already introduced in the Senate, would eliminate the in-the-home restriction. Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced H.R. 5983 just before legislators left Washington, D.C, for their August recess. At press time in early October, it had seven co-sponsors....
ASP pricing: 'We're crying foul'
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A 25% drop in Medicare reimbursement for albuterol has some in the industry demanding investigations into calculation methods.
Average sales price for the drug fell 6 cents to 15 cents per dose in fourth quarter figures.
"We're crying foul on that one," said Mickey Letson, president of Decatur, Ala.-based Letco Companies. "That number cannot possibly be right, according to the system."
Lisa Getson, executive vice president of business development and clinical services for the Lake Forest,...
Andover Medical positions itself for increased profits
October 31, 2006HME News Staff
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Andover Medical has agreed to acquire New York-based Ortho-Medical, the company announced Oct. 12. The deal is intended to serve as a springboard for further growth in the orthopedic market, and it's the first in a planned series of acquisitions to increase profits and efficiency. Ortho-Medical is a full service provider of DME, respiratory and O&P.