Archive: May 2009
Providers make 'rare and gutsy' moves
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
Not all HME providers are in standby mode. Some, likes Medically Yours and Cape Medical Supply, opened new locations in April.
“People in my state association - they tell me it's a rare and gutsy move in this economy,” said Aaron Lerberg, owner of Medically Yours in Des Moines, Iowa. “But you can only turn over the same bit of market share so many times. You have to look at new market share - other places to tell your story and to service people.”
Medically Yours opened an...
Recruiters' greatest hits
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
An editorial titled “Hits and misses” in the May 2009 issue of HME News may have inadvertently tied a negative connotation to the recruiting industry. It discussed Alliance Seating & Mobility using a headhunting agency to recruit assistive technology professionals (ATPs) to build up its complex rehab division. It states: “Let's face it: There's nothing illegal - or even wrong, really - about recruiting.”
The word “really” in this sentence could lead a reader to...
CMS releases general competitive bidding timeline
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Home medical equipment providers will be able to register for national competitive bidding this summer and submit bids this fall, CMS announced in a press release last week.
Members of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) will meet with CMS officials June 4 to discuss the timeline for competitive bidding and other issues.
"We're developing a specific line of questions," said Walt Gorski, a PAOC member and AAHomecare's vice president of government affairs. "We don't want...
AABCP offers sure-ty thing
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
HOUSTON--Some women's health providers have another option when it comes to obtaining surety bonds. In April, the American Association of Breast Care Professionals (AABCP) began offering the bonds to its members.
“We found most of the bonds that were being offered didn't take the unique qualities of a mastectomy boutique into consideration,” said Rhonda Turner, president. “They do have to be certified and accredited but they really are very small in some cases. A lot of the financial...
Extra care provided
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
ATLANTA--Providers like Extrakare braved the elements when severe storms and strong winds on April 13 left more than 80,000 homes without power in the Atlanta area. Extrakare answered dozens of calls from patients and delivered oxygen to three patients after hours on April 13 and five more patients on April 14. “This incident underscores the important role oxygen providers fill during weather emergencies,” said Scott Lloyd, president of Extrakare.
Short takes
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
Team Invacare member Ernst Van Dyk finished the Boston Marathon in 1:33:29 and member Diane Roy, 38, finished in 2:01:27...RESNA will hold its annual conference June 23-27 in New Orleans. Register online at www.resna.org.
Sales of respiratory masks go hog-wild
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
HME providers were overrun in early May with consumers frantic to buy respiratory masks as protection against a potential swine flu epidemic.
“I have people on a waiting list,” said Michael Normand, a repair technician at Northshore Medical Supply in Houston, where the first death outside of Mexico was recorded. “Here in Texas, they are coming in from Mexico to buy them. One guy came in and spent $300 or $400 buying all my masks.”
At press time there were 2,500 confirmed...
Q&A: Complex manual wheelchairs
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
KENNEWICK, Wash.--The complex manual wheelchair market seems to be suffering from an image crisis. The general public continues to think of complex manual wheelchairs as sports chairs, designed for serious athletes. As a result, these chairs are often underutilized - to the detriment of end users, according to TiLite Vice President of Sales Marty Ball.
HME News: So the complex manual wheelchair market is often overlooked?
Marty Ball: Complex manual wheelchairs have, at times, been overlooked or maybe...
Boutique serves vital need
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
A new women's health boutique proves that good things come in small packages.
Vitality - A Survivors Boutique opened in the Cookeville Regional Medical Center in March. While the space measures just 200 square feet, it offers one-stop shopping for women undergoing cancer treatment.
“It's very small but we've got it stocked,” said Debbie Williams, marketing and physician relations representative. “It helps the patient not to have to go all over town just to get a wig or a turban.”
The...
HMOs: No longer a dirty word
May 31, 2009HME News Staff
MIAMI LAKES, Fla.--As changes like national competitive bidding force them to become savvier, more providers may go the way of All Med Services, industry consultants predict.
Miami Lakes, Fla.-based All Med has created a niche for itself focusing on managed care contracts. The provider has already added two new contracts to its roster in 2009, bringing its total to nine.
“It's a nice boost,” said Jose Linares, vice president of sales and marketing. “We saw the writing on the wall...