Archive: March 2009
Short take
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
ACHC announced in January that it has been chosen by Raleigh, N.C.-based Kerr Drug for DMEPOS accreditation…
'Start over,' Shuler says
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
WASHINGTON--It was standing room only during the Feb. 11 Small Business Committee hearing on the effects of national competitive bidding on small providers.
“One of the ranking members of the committee said he attended a stimulus package hearing that didn't have that many people,” said Beth Bowen, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES), which worked with Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., to organize the hearing.
Shuler held a similar hearing...
Surety bond requirement: Details continue to trickle in
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
BALTIMORE - Medicare published a transmittal late last week that states providers can obtain a single surety bond that encompasses multiple national provider identifiers (NPIs)/locations.
If, for example, a provider has 10 separately enrolled locations, it can obtain a $500,000 bond to cover all locations.
Other details from the March 27 transmittal:
• If a provider seeks to enroll a new location, it may submit an amendment or rider to its existing bond rather than submit a separate...
Providers aim to ramp up lobbying
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
YARMOUTH, Maine - Lawmakers will break for a two-week Easter recess April 4 and providers need to make meeting with them while they're in their home districts a priority, industry stakeholders say.
Providers should be up to the challenge, according to the results of the April HME NewsPoll. Eighty-eight percent of respondents have contacted their U.S. senator or representative already this year.
"It is important to know our officials and their office staff," writes provider Tim Pederson, CEO of WestMed...
SBA opens doors with sleep therapy
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
EL DORADO, Kan.--You could say the devil known as national competitive bidding made SBA Home Medical Equipment do it. The provider had long held off entering the booming sleep market, thinking it couldn't compete with big city companies. But it recently took the plunge.
“We needed to diversify,” said Kim Nolan, supervisor of medical equipment. “Oxygen is our biggest business and it's 75% Medicare. Our sleep business is only 50% Medicare.”
Expanding into the growing sleep...
Walgreens increases infusion presence
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
DEERFIELD, Ill.--Walgreens OptionCare continues to build its home infusion empire, brick by brick. The company picked up CareMax Medical Resources for an undisclosed sum, it announced Feb. 27.
The Tampa, Fla.-based CareMax offers home infusion, respiratory and DME though a handful of locations in Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“This is really an infusion deal for Walgreens OptionCare,” said Kevin Palamara, a managing director with Boston-based Provident Healthcare Partners....
Diabetes: A 'huge disease state'
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
There's no ignoring the numbers when it comes to the diabetes market - nearly 75 million Americans either have Type 2 diabetes or are at risk for developing it. Recent projections for diabetes worldwide expect the population to rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million by 2030.
If that's not enough to warrant attention, how about this: Nearly 13% of the U.S. population age 20 and older has diabetes, with only 40% of those diagnosed. The market growth rate for 2009 alone is reported at 5% to 7%.
Scott...
Get educated
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
The MED Group will hold its National Rehab Network Summit June 9-11 in Denver. The summit is an educational and networking event that focuses on implementing best practices and improving operational efficiencies. It offers continuing education units (CEUs)...U.S. Rehab will offer a review course that will examine the topics covered on the RESNA assistive technology practitioner (ATP) exam April 28-29 in Sacramento, Calif., and Sept. 15-16 in Richmond, Va...There's one more teleseminar in NRRTS's...
Lawmakers, patients push for infusion coverage
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
WASHINGTON--Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., witnessed firsthand the value of home infusion therapy when his son needed treatment, he stated at an educational forum hosted by the National Home Infusion Association March 5. “I believe he was able to heal faster because he underwent treatment at home,” Isakson told attendees. “Everyone should be afforded this opportunity.” He was joined by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., along with home infusion patients,...
Halton takes prize
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
OAKVILLE, Ontario--MEDIChair Halton was named Franchise of the Year in March. Bas van Lankvelt, COO of MEDIChair, credited owners David and Kristin Courtney with “exceptional business growth coupled with a gift for organizing significant community events.” In 2008, those events included the Eighth Annual Veterans Appreciation Luncheon, attended by 800 veterans and guests.