Archive: August 2006
Tammy Zelenko: Build a strong foundation
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
Before she acquired AdvaCare in 1999, Tammy Zelenko spent 17 years paying her dues. At various home medical equipment companies, she worked in billing, customer service and operations. She learned the HME business inside and out, and that experience has served her well.
Since taking the reins at AdvaCare, Zelenko has grown the company's revenue 225% and quadrupled its staff. She's added two standalone locations in the Pittsburgh area and two sleep labs in area hospitals.
Zelenko's growth strategy...
Computer system bugs providers
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
PORTLAND, Maine - Frustrated with delayed payments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars and a lack of answers, Maine HME providers recently asked the governor for help.
In a recent letter, the New England Medical Equipment Dealers (NEMED) association asked Gov. John Baldacci for a meeting to address issues with the MaineCare program. The problems stem from the November 2004 installation of a new computer system that flags claims.
Gov. Baldacci's response? He passed it along to "the people who...
Matria spins off diabetes subsidiary
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
MARIETTA, Ga. - Matria sold diabetes product subsidiary Facet for $122 million cash, the company announced July 26.
The buyer: Chicago-based private equity firm, Water Street Capital Partners.
"If you look at what Matria is trying to do, their focus is really going to be a disease management company," said Kevin Palamara, a director with Boston-based investment firm Provident Healthcare Partners. "They are out of the diabetes supply space and they are looking to compete with companies like Healthways."...
Mission 'impossible'
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS blindsided the HME industry in late July when it proposed a plan to significantly revamp how Medicare pays for home oxygen therapy, including a proposal to reduce reimbursement for a stationary oxygen concentrator from about $200 to $177 a month.
"There will be a negative impact," said AAHomecare Chairman Tom Ryan. "I crunched the numbers for my company and saw a well over $100,000 decrease over a year. That's a sizeable hit, and it's a sizeable hit for most people, and when they...
Online education: Users call it thorough and consistent
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
Accredited providers are well-accustomed to the challenge of creating and documenting comprehensive employee training programs. But when accreditation becomes mandatory in 2007, all providers will most likely face the same burden.
More and more providers are turning to online education to provide employee training that they say is thorough, easily tracked, and consistent across locations and job descriptions.
"I could not provide this kind of consistent education to my employees without doing it...
CMS admits home care's importance
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - In a positive if mostly symbolic move for the HME industry, CMS stated in late July that it will provide $1.75 billion in competitive grants over the next five years to help more Medicaid beneficiaries remain at home.
The grants will "help shift Medicaid from its historical emphasis on institutional long-term care services to a system that offers more choices for seniors and persons with disabilities from all age groups, including home and community-based services," CMS stated.
"With...
Mal Mixon: To succeed, providers must be efficient, innovative, agile
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio - Despite all the challenges the HME industry faces, Invacare CEO Mal Mixon still "gets up excited every morning" to go to work he told a gathering of trade journalists here last month. "But with the industry mired in uncertainty on almost every front--from oxygen to rehab--it's difficult, he acknowledged, for providers to decide where to invest. To become more efficient and competitive in today's new business environment, according to Mixon, providers should: invest in technology that...
Kim Brummett: Stay focused and driven
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
Kim Brummett first realized she was driven at an early age. "The first day I was told to clear the table after dinner, I took everyone's plates before they were finished," she said.
As a result, Brummett's parents recognized her potential, and she credits them with "encouraging me to stay focused and driven. I have lived my life that way."
Advanced Home Care CEO Joel Mills also saw that quality in Brummett when he hired her as director of reimbursement in 1996. She has since become vice president...
'We will see a turnaround in our industry'
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
The HME industry has been faced with relentless challenges over the past several years. Each year it seems that no matter how hard we try, Congress reduces reimbursement. However, while it is important to be aware of the challenges our industry continues to face, we also should be cognizant of the positive changes that we have accomplished. There are many happenings that our industry should feel good about:
- The government cannot reduce the demand for our products. The 65-plus population is growing...
They're 'Not Your Typical Business'
August 31, 2006HME News Staff
MANCHESTER, N.H. - When it comes to employee perks and community involvement, larger companies don't have anything on Rehabilitation Equipment Associates, says President Jan Soderquist.
It's not unusual for the company to host periodic cookouts, exercise classes and "lunch and learn" events for its employees. It also raffles off modified bikes and, along with other organizations, sponsors "Toys for the Holidays."
"We're a small company, but we do big company things," said Soderquist, who started...