Archive: February 2006
Part D drug benefit sent Liberty biz soaring in January
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The Medicare prescription drug bill has pumped new life into Liberty Medical's pharmacy business. By late January, less than a month after the new Part D benefit took effect, Liberty reported that it's mail-order pharmacy business had jumped 10 fold to 1,000 orders a day--75% of them from first-time customers. The new Medicare drug benefit took effect Jan. 1. It provides coverage for seniors and makes it less important for them to shop around for the lowest-priced prescriptions,...
Diagnosing OSA: Keep it simple
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
Is it any wonder that the number of beds in America's sleep labs grew by 21% in 2005 and should jump another 31%, according to a Wachovia Securities study released in January? It shouldn't be, not after CMS balked at common sense last year and declined to reimburse suppliers for sleep-disordered breathing screening in the home.
If you asked CMS why they declined, they'd tell you that the science had yet to support the viability of in-home diagnostics. Of course, the real answer is that the vested...
SISA Home Medical speeds up business
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
BELLEVILLE, Ill. - SISA Home Medical Equipment has a newfound appreciation for the phrase location, location, location.
About a year ago, SISA moved to Belleville from O'Fallon, Ill., situating itself strategically across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Since then, the company's branch here has watched its wheelchair and scooter sales jump about 33%.
"St. Louis is where the larger hospitals are, and people who went to the hospitals there would get their equipment there, not knowing that we...
Starting from scratch with $1 million
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
Are you worried about the current state of Medicare reimbursement and how it will affect your company? Do you ever wish you could start over? Do you ever think about things you'd do differently in your business, now that you've been at it for a while?
Here at HME News, we were thinking about how, if we were a provider, we would respond to the challenges of doing business today. So we decided to ask some industry experts their opinion.
We wanted a variety of views, so we asked two consultants, two...
Hoveround holds seating symposium
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
DALLAS - Hoveround, a Sarasota, Fla.-based manufacturer and provider of mobility equipment, held its 12th national continuing education meeting here Feb. 2-5.
More than 200 professionals attended the meeting, including 134 rehab technology suppliers (RTSs); 32 field and corporate managers and trainers; and 20 speakers, vendors and other guests. Also at the meeting: Forty five of Hoveround's assistive technology suppliers (ATSs) and assistive technology practitioners (ATPs), and about 60 of the provider's...
Industry hits airwaves to fight O2 cap
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
YARMOUTH, Maine - Brian Williams from NBC Nightly News never called, but providers lobbying against the just approved cap on oxygen caught the attention of local media outlets in January.
WAVY-10, a TV station in Portsmouth, Va., aired a news story Jan. 12 that featured provider Tom Inman and one of his customers, Betty Hotchkin, who has been using oxygen for five years.
In the story, Inman and Hotchkin described their concerns about how Medicare beneficiaries will be able to afford oxygen therapy...
Arcadia snaps up two respiratory companies
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Arcadia Resources bought two respiratory providers in early 2006: HomeLife Medical in Blairsville, Ga.; and Remedy Therapeutics in Chicago area.
Remedy Therapeutics founder Michael Burke has been named Arcadia's regional manager for Chicagoland.
In 2005, Arcadia launched an initiative to grow its offerings, including homecare products, pharmacy, staffing and DME. In a statement, President Larry Kuhnert said recent industry changes favored continued growth.
In other news, Arcadia...
Show offers shelter from legislative storm
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
LAS VEGAS - A confluence of legislative and regulatory pressures has created a climate for the HME industry that is being described as "the perfect storm." But despite the dark skies, Medtrade Spring organizers are offering providers refuge in the form of educational programs.
Along with a full roster of seminars held during the show, the Medtrade Spring educational advisory committee has also scheduled two separate pre-show symposiums on March 21: the Continuum of Care Conference and a reimbursement...
NSM adds PTs, OTs to event's invite list
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - National Seating & Mobility has opened up its annual symposium to physical therapists and occupational therapists. The symposium, slated to take place April 21 to 25 in Scottsdale, Ariz., typically hosts only the provider's network of rehabilitation technology suppliers. RTSs attend the symposium to sharpen their seating and mobility skills, earn continuing education credits (CEUs) and check out new products. This year, however, NSM expects 100 therapists to join RTSs at the Doubletree...
Permobil chair stars on 'ER'
February 28, 2006HME News Staff
LEBANON, Tenn. - Permobil's C500 power wheelchair landed a guest appearance on NBC's Emmy Award-winning drama "ER" Feb. 2.
The episode called "Body and Soul" highlighted the struggles of college professor Dr. Nate Lennox, played by Academy Award-nominated actor James Woods, as he battles ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
"This was an amazing experience for everyone involved," said Barry Steelman, marketing manager for Permobil, Inc. "Actor James Woods was the consummate professional and demonstrated...