Archive: March 2009
New cloth CPAP mask has 'huge potential'
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
MURRYSVILLE, Pa.--With his new “feather light” SleepWeaver fabric CPAP mask, David Groll has gone way outside the box. And now that he recently landed a $150,000 investment, he plans to ramp up his marketing efforts so that people can find him.
“Nobody wears plastic clothes,” said Groll, who used to work on CPAP masks at Philips Respironics. “Nobody would sleep in plastic sheets, but they wear plastic on their face. That is ridiculous.”
So when he started thinking...
VGM on HME Expo: 'Excellent opportunity for industry'
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
The VGM Group in February announced that it would attend and support the HME Exposition & Conference in Baltimore, April 21-23. VGM President Ron Bendell said this about the HME Expo: “They have taken the time to listen to what the industry needs. They've been responsive to what providers are looking for and what exhibitors want. They are attempting to bring all facets of the industry together at one event, which we support. Speaking with one voice is the only way to get things done in Washington.”...
Medicaid, providers spar over coding
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
ATLANTA--Relations between rehab providers and Medicaid officials have heated up, as they continue to debate the merits of K0108, a miscellaneous code for wheelchair components and accessories.
In February, rehab providers enlisted Dr. Doran Edwards, the SADMERC director turned consultant, to help them get through to Medicaid.
“So far, the state has been resisting him, which is discouraging, because we feel there couldn't be a better coding expert,” said Weesie Walker, who manages...
Bidding debate heats up
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
WASHINGTON--The deadline for submitting comments on national competitive bidding came amid a flurry of activity that has the potential to derail the program or propel it forward.
CMS closed the comment period for the interim final rule on competitive bidding March 17.
That same month, however, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, asking Acting Secretary Charles Johnson to rescind the rule. Also in March, AAHomecare announced that it had outlined...
RESNA green lights specialty certification
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
ARLINGTON, Va.--RESNA has moved forward with plans to develop a specialty certification in seating and mobility.
A RESNA work group has developed a list of what it believes to be the tasks and knowledge needed to provide seating and mobility equipment, and in February, it sent out a survey to more than 2,500 professionals to identify “the most critical areas.”
“That will form the blueprint of the exam,” said Laura Cohen, chairwoman of RESNA's Professional Standards Board....
Celebrate small successes
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
Dr. Gary Schwantz, a consultant to The MED Group, says he's not by nature an optimistic person, so it might seem a little odd that he's making a name for himself discussing the importance of savoring life. Schwantz left his full-time position with MED about a year ago to hang out a shingle as a motivational speaker and meeting facilitator. He has a new Web site, drgaryschwantz.com, and just published his first book, “Get To or Got To.” HME News caught up with him at MED's conference in...
Separate but not equal?
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
The rehab industry may have its hands full trying to convince lawmakers that they should exempt complex wheelchairs from the 9.5% Medicare reimbursement cut, but that's not stopping it from keeping an eye toward the future.
The rehab industry has begun exploring the possibility of divorcing HME, making complex wheelchairs a separate benefit.
“Every time the HME industry gets cut, it hurts us the most,” said Sharon Hildebrandt, executive director of NCART. “We're different. We have...
Short takes
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
Teleflex Medical signed an agreement with ResMed in February, making it an exclusive distributor of ResMed's non-invasive ventilation masks for U.S. acute care hospitals not affiliated with the Veterans Administration…Medline Industries inked a $1.8 million deal in March to provide advanced wound care products to Catholic Healthcare West...Invacare recently got its XPO2 portable oxygen concentrator approved for airline use...SeQual Technologies recently got its Eclipse POC approved by Southwest...
New system speeds up processing
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.--A year after it was launched, Missouri's Smart PA Cyber Access system has decreased providers' paperwork load and the time it takes them to put equipment in the hands of beneficiaries.
“Missouri is setting the curve,” said Ron Burns, Missouri chairman for the Midwest Association of Medical Equipment Services. “It's an electronic world. Let's use it.”
The online system streamlines the entire process of providing DME to Medicaid beneficiaries. Once...
Despite oxygen cap, provider jumps in
March 31, 2009HME News Staff
TAMPA, Fla.--It may seem counterintuitive to get back into the oxygen market in light of the 36-month cap, but that's just what Butch Vanderpool did recently.
“I've got three years for Medicare to figure out what they are going to do because the cap as it stands isn't going to work,” said Vanderpool, the owner of Mobility Specialists in Tampa and Auburndale, Fla. “My oldest oxygen patient is only 60 days.”
Vanderpool isn't a stranger to the business. He launched his own HME,...