Archive: September 2008
Apria reports delayed earnings
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
LAKE FOREST, Calif.--The delay of Apria Healthcare's second quarter earnings could have been related to its buyout deal by The Blackstone Group, say industry watchers.
“When they've got a big deal pending like that, it could be a matter of getting the new guys to review and approve everything,” said Bob Leonard, a managing director with The Braff Group, a Pittsburgh-based M&A firm.
In June, Apria announced that it had negotiated a $1.6 billion buyout offer from an affiliate of the private...
Providers get semi-friendly
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
Medicare woes may have providers seeing red, but that hasn't stopped some companies from “going green.”
Although 53% of the 112 respondents to a recent HME NewsPoll said they do not have plans over the next year to make their company more eco-friendly, some providers have taken “small, but cumulative” steps to save money by conserving energy.
Provider Fred Jackson, for example, said he has reduced his energy needs by running cooling and heating systems on timers, and by...
Focus your reimbursement department
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
Q. What is the best way to organize our reimbursement department to effectively bill and collect our accounts receivables?
A. Reimbursement departments are typically organized where everyone is working on a little of everything and no one has a single focus. The end result is usually lagging cash flow and increased accounts receivables. To avoid this, you should have a minimum of two divisions within your department: billing and collections.
The billing division's focus should be on ensuring clean...
Pharmacy association launches voter drive
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--On the heels of the passage of H.R. 6331, which delayed national competitive bidding for 18 to 24 months, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has kicked off a voter registration drive geared toward pharmacy owners, employees and patients. “The stakes and opportunities in the new 111th Congress are as high as they have ever been,” said Bruce Roberts, NCPA executive vice president and CEO, in a release. “With H.R. 6331 now law, we can't afford to...
Issues with NCB, senator agrees
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, addressed several hundred employees in the main lobby of The Scooter Store's headquarters in New Braunfels, Texas, recently. Cornyn, a strong supporter of improving fraud prevention and detection, spoke about the Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act (STOP Act), a bill that he introduced, along with Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., in June. S. 3164 would, among other things, require Medicare carriers to confirm with the National Supplier Clearinghouse that claims for...
NRRTS welcomes board members
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
TRINIDAD, Co.--The National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Supplies (NRRTS) welcomed new board members into office Aug. 31. The new members include: John Zona of Lakeview Medical in Auburn, Mass., president-elect; Mike Osborn of Alliance Rehab and Medical Equipment in Ozark, Mo., secretary; Jim Noland of Presque Isle Rehabilitation Technologies in Erie, Pa., treasurer; Gerald Dickerson of Medstar in College Point, N.Y., director; Michele Gunn of Browning's Pharmacy and Health Care in Orlando,...
Short takes
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
The Prosthetic Center was named one of Houston's fastest growing women's businesses in August. It is the third straight year the provider of custom orthotics and prosthetics has earned the honor…The American Sleep Apnea Association has moved. The new address is 6856 Eastern Avenue, NW, Suite 203, Washington D.C. 20012.
Hospice-focused HMEs scramble to get accredited
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
HME providers with hospice contracts took recent accreditation requirements in stride. A new payment policy for hospices requires they contract only with HMEs that are accredited. The HMEs must become accredited, even if they don't do any Medicare business.
“We are working feverishly to get accredited,” said Tony Myrell, president of Premier Medical in Colton, Calif. “Since we only do hospice, we didn't even have a Medicare provider number.”
A notice in the Federal Register...
Hartman gives standing orders
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
MONTROSE, Colo.--Hartman Brothers Medical believes it has a rare relationship with physicians that allows both parties to spend less time doing paperwork and more time taking care of home oxygen patients.
About two years ago, Hartman created a form that spells out the routine services that its respiratory therapists (RTs) are allowed to provide without having to go back to physicians for approval-things like adjusting liter flows and performing titrations. It then asked physicians to sign the form,...
Earnings: Arcadia sees ups and downs
September 30, 2008HME News Staff
INDIANAPOLIS--Arcadia HealthCare reported net revenues of $37.4 million for the first quarter of 2009, down from net revenues of $38 million for the same period last year. Sales in the company's home health equipment segment, which includes DME, increased to $5.5 million in the quarter, up from $5.3 million for the same period last year. Arcadia's first quarter homecare revenue grew by 9.3%, driven by a 13% increase in private pay clients.