Archive: June 2008
Association keeps eye on Medicaid
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.--National competitive bidding may be all anyone can think about, but the Illinois Association for Medical Equipment Services (IAMES) has Medicaid on its mind.
“When everyone, like The VGM Group, is doing so much to fight competitive bidding, why would we want to make that our focus,” said Alan Kirk, immediate past president of IAMES and vice president of Total Home Health in Elgin.
IAMES officials meet with Medicaid officials on a semi-regular basis. Before each meeting,...
Personnel
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
Q. What is the benefit of developing a “skills” inventory?
A. Of all the assets that a business owner must manage, “human assets” are the most important. Remember that your employees manage the functions that make the business run each day. Conducting a comprehensive review of employee skills can mean the difference between making the business run like a finely tuned machine or clunk along and stall periodically. Sadly, this is the most neglected area of a business.
True,...
Contract winners cautious
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
They may be “in the game,” but many Round 1 winners of Medicare contracts were sticking close to the sidelines in the weeks leading up to the program's July 1 start. The reason: Industry efforts to delay or repeal competitive bidding have them reluctant to invest money in ramping up.
“I'm not going to pour my resources into this only to have Medicare pull out 10 months later,” said Tom Mullaney, president of Mullaney Medical in Cincinnati, which won three contracts. “They...
National competitive bidding
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
Boy, did we underestimate the maze that is competitive bidding. Little did we know in May just how difficult it would be to ferret out
how many contracts national HME providers-Lincare, Apria, American HomePatient (AHP) and Rotech-accepted as part of national competitive bidding.
By tallying the total number of contracts accepted by the nationals using CMS's lists (Lincare 12; Apria 14; AHP 37, if you count American HomePatient Inc. & Subs; and Rotech 11), we didn't exactly get the full picture....
Marketing
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
Q. We're opening a branch in a new area. How do we tailor our marketing to build community awareness?
A. When creating marketing materials, the first question you ask should be “Who is my target audience?”
There might be multiple answers: Patients, caregivers, discharge planners and, if you're in an area where managed care dominates the insurancescape, case managers.
To cover all bases, it's advisable to address all those constituencies.
One of the most interesting ideas I've seen...
Providers in transition
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
Some providers who didn't win contracts for Round 1 of national competitive bidding have been shopping their services around, hoping that subcontracting will help them hold on to their Medicare business.
Other non-contract providers are “entertaining” subcontracting, but they're unsure about its financial feasibility and legality.
Jim Davidson, a non-contract provider in the Riverside, Calif., competitive bidding area (CBA), says he has no choice but to go after subcontracts. As an independent...
Firing on all cylinders
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
BROADVIEW, Ill.--The Service Center guarantees that its pledge to donate $50 to charity for every cylinder it loses is not just a bunch of hot air.
With locations in the suburbs of Chicago and Detroit, the five-year-old oxygen cylinder filling and equipment repair contractor claims to understand respiratory providers' frustrations with mysteriously disappearing cylinders, convoluted logistics, long-term binding contracts and rising prices. At the heart of that empathy is a team with an extensive...
Manufacturers raise prices—again
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio--For the second time this year, product prices are going up at Invacare and Graham-Field, and there's a good chance that other manufacturers will follow, if they haven't already.
“This may be the first time I can remember in 20 years that there could be a third increase if the costs keep increasing as they are,” said Ken Spett, Graham-Field vice president of global marketing. “One of the biggest impacts is diesel fuel. You have to move product.”
Graham-Field...
Invacare wins Paralympic bid
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio--Top End, Invacare's sports and recreation division, recently won the order to build more than 240 wheelchairs for the Chinese Paralympian team. China is one of the few countries that purchases equipment for its paralympic athletes. The ordered chairs include the Top End Paul Schulte Signature Series Titanium Basketball Chairs and the Top End T-5 Tennis Elite Chairs. The majority of the chairs will be made at the Top End facility in Pinellas Park, Fla.
Got back pain?
June 30, 2008HME News Staff
NEW ORLEANS--When provider Jeff Friedman added Tempur-Pedic mattresses to his product mix recently, he wanted to boost his cash sales. After buying a mattress for himself, however, he became more than just a shrewd businessman.
“I'm a zealot for these mattresses,” said Friedman, owner of Total Health Solutions.
Total Health carries five models of Tempur-Pedic mattresses in an area of its showroom called “The Sleep and Wellness Center.” It also cross-markets the mattresses,...