Archive: January 2008
RecoverCare branches out
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - RecoverCare acquired Houston-based Patient Care Systems, the company announced Jan. 2. Like RecoverCare, PCS provides therapeutic mattresses, bariatric equipment and safe patient handling products to hospitals, nursing homes and homecare patients. The acquisition of PCS will add 38 service centers in 26 states to RecoverCare's national service network, further strengthening customer service and facility delivery times, RecoverCare stated in a release.
Sept. 30, 2009, isn't that far off
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
Providers who haven't begun the accrediation process should make that a New Year's resolution if they don't want to be left out in the cold, say industry leaders.
CMS's Dec. 17 announcement of a Sept. 30, 2009, deadline for mandatory accreditation may have been on the back burner for providers over the holidays, but accreditors expressed optimism that would change after the first of the year.
"My phone traffic has certainly picked up quite a bit since the announcement," said Bob Floro, JCAHO's director...
Extra cash to boost advocacy
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Medical Equipment Services Association (SCMESA) sent notices to members in January that it has changed its dues structure to raise more money to fight and promote state and industry issues.
Last year, full members paid a flat fee of $300. This year, however, they'll have to pay anywhere from $350 to $650, depending on revenues.
"I'm sure we're going to get some push back, especially from smaller providers," said Bobby Horton, SCMESA's executive director. "But we're...
The great HME escape
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The industry breathed a sigh of relief in mid-December when a new Medicare bill contained no reimbursement cuts for home medical equipment. But it's going to take a ton of hard work to continue that winning streak in 2008.
"This is a delay, an intermission," said Cara Bachenheimer, Invacare's senior vice president of government relations. "It does give us some time, but this thing is going to start up real quick in 2008."
The Senate passed S.2499 unanimously Dec. 19. The House voted...
AAHomecare continues fight
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - AAHomecare sent a letter to CMS Administrator Kerry Weems Dec. 7, illustrating the steps providers must take to furnish standard and complex power wheelchairs to Medicare beneficiaries. The letter follows up on the industry's Oct. 31 meeting with Weems to discuss concerns over CMS's plan to include power wheelchairs in national competitive bidding. The letter reiterated AAHomecare's position that power wheelchairs aren't commodity items that lend themselves to competitive bidding.
Interrupted sleep can increase risk
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Disrupted sleep hurts the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels, possibly increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, say researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In a Jan. 2 report issued in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers studied the sleep patterns of nine volunteers, five men and four women, all of normal weight, in good health and ages 20 to 31. When the volunteers went into slow-wave sleep--the deepest level...
Patients harmonize for better breathing
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
PHOENIX - There are a bunch of people in Phoenix singing the praises of the John C. Lincoln Better Breathers support group and with good reason.
For the past few years, the hospital has used "harmonica therapy" to help patients with COPD and other lung diseases improve their overall health.
"It's a supplement to other things: medication compliance, seeing a pulmonologist, a little bit of exercise, things like that," said Mike Clark, who works at the hospital as a registered respiratory therapist....
Power chair repairs: Invacare offers options
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio - Want to continue selling power wheelchairs but jettison your low- or no-paying repair business? If that's the case, Invacare might have a deal for you.
On Nov. 29, the manufacturer announced that it had acquired Roadrunner Mobility, which bills itself as the "largest independent power wheelchair repair organization in the nation."
"Repairs for some providers is a money maker and a core competency," said Chris Yessayan, vice president and general manager of Invacare's Services Business...
Providers share spotlight
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
Twice a week, Ron Reed and another local provider tag team their referral sources.
It's not as unusual a partnership as it sounds. Reed, owner and CEO of Benchmark Mobility in Indianapolis, and the other provider aren't competitors. Benchmark supplies everything from crutches to bath safety products to wheelchairs; the other provider supplies continuous passive motion (CPM) machines.
But it's still an unusual enough partnership that not a lot of other providers do it (See box below).
"We're not...
Bello's rule: Don't slack on employee reviews
January 31, 2008HME News Staff
FORT WORTH, Ind. - Industry consultant Ty Bello has come out with a new Web-based tool to help companies conduct quarterly reviews of employee performance for two reasons: First, with mandatory accreditation on the horizon and most accreditors requiring annual employee evaluations, it's a good business opportunity; and second, communicating regularly with employees has never been more important.
"The people we have on our team are getting feedback all the time," Bello said. "They have iPods, text...