Archive: August 2007
Competitive bidding: How to prepare now
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
Industry consultant Ken Emerick agrees that CMS will likely make quite a few changes to national competitive bidding before it kicks off the second round of the program in 2009. Just the same, providers who are waiting for competitive bidding to hit the next 80 competitive bidding areas should:
Know their costs
Rather than worry about what CMS will reimburse under competitive bidding, providers should examine their costs for each product they provide. "For example, what does it cost to maintain a...
Provider wants 'as much cash business as we can get'
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
MONTANDON, Pa. - Susquehanna Valley Mobility has cracked the vehicle lift market.
In June and July, the Montandon, Pa.-based rehab provider sent two employees to Wisconsin to receive training from Bruno Independent Living Aids, a lift manufacturer. In September, it plans to send employees to Pennsylvania to receive training from Pride Mobility Products, a manufacturer of power mobility devices and lifts.
"We were referring a lot of that business away, and with Medicare so volatile, we want to hold...
Power wheelchair market poised for retail revolution
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
As the K0011 code for Medicare power wheelchairs fades into history, its demise represents a new sales juncture for providers. The question is, which direction will they go?
While many will continue to provide power chairs through Medicare channels, wading through the volumes of paperwork required for the process, others, weary of myriad layers of documentation, may see over-the-counter retail sales for power chairs as an easier and more profitable route.
Mike Serhan, vice president of sales, design...
99% denial rate in Jurisdiction A
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A second quarter review of foam dressings revealed denials of nearly all claims billed with the A1 modifier in jurisdictions A and B.
TriCenturion's probe of payments for A6209-A6214 revealed a denial rate of 99.25% in Jurisdiction A and 98.77% in Jurisdiction B. Of those denials, 71% in Jurisdiction A and 65% in Jurisdiction B were denied as not medically necessary, and 28% and 35%, respectively, were denied for no response.
Providers should probably count on seeing similar reviews...
Attendees key on education, networking
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
Orlando, Fla. -- HME suppliers attend Medtrade for three main reasons: education, networking and products. No surprise there. What is surprising is the insistence that Medtrade is no longer a buying show by those who attend for other reasons.
"The days of Medtrade being a buying show have come to pass," said Josh Anderson, vice president of marketing at TiLite in Kennewick, Wash. "It's important for us to spend time with the clinicians and providers, educating them firsthand."
Likewise, the point...
Collecting co-pays rewards Bargmann
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
The squeamishness that many HMEs experience when tackling the ticklish job of collecting Medicare's 20% co-payment has paid off big-time for Bargmann Management and HCS. In late June, the Greater Akron (Ohio) Chamber of Commerce named Bargmann its 2007 New and Emerging Business of the Year.
The company formed in 2003 and generates 85% of its business helping providers collect beneficiary co-pays. At the end of 2006, the company employed 20 associates. It now employs 65 and expects to double that...
'I get jazzed up because I see the glimmer in their eyes'
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Seven thousand, nine hundred and eighteen. That's Ty Bello's favorite number.
"It's the number of people who turn 65 every day this year," said Bello, who calls himself the HME industry's only certified corporate coach. "The boomers have landed, and they are going to change--if the HME is willing to change--the way HMEs do business."
Lately, during his presentations at various industry events, Bello has thrown his favorite number out a lot, especially to providers who believe the...
Rx distributor acquires Letco
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
DECATUR, Ala. - The second largest distributor of generic drugs in the United States, The Harvard Drug Group, acquired the Letco Companies in early August. Mickey Letson, Letco's well-known president, will continue to lead the company as an executive and new shareholder. "The acquisition of Letco not only adds branded and generic respiratory medications to Harvard Drug's array of product offerings, but it also opens up new distribution channels for its products and services," commented Chuck Gaetano,...
Couple sues Apria over moldy tanks
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - A Littleton, Colo., couple who claims they have been adversely affected by an uncorrected mold problem in oxygen tanks recently sued Apria Healthcare, according to a local newspaper. Jack Newell, who suffers from emphysema and obstructive pulmonary disease, and Linda Newell claim the provider failed to clean the plastic tubing that carries condensation away from the coils on the top of tanks, allowing condensation to sit in a collector tray and grow mold. Apria denies the allegations.
A taxing situation in China
August 31, 2007HME News Staff
HME providers could see modest increases in product pricing--probably between 2% and 5%--any day now as manufacturers look to offset a new tax imposed on some equipment exported from China, say industry watchers.
On July 1, China scaled back the rebate on its 17% value-added tax (VAT). The exact amount China now rebates on exports varies from product to product, but the net result is that all manufacturers--not just HME--pay more to export products to the United States and other countries.
For the...