Archive: September 2009
'We're not just a business'
September 30, 2009HME News Staff
FREEPORT, Ill. - When Freeport Home Medical Equipment in August offered a program to help seniors with their balance, they figured 30 would sign up.
They got more than 100.
Hosting such a program is just one of the many ways the provider has knit itself into the fabric of the local community, said company founder Carolyn Sluiter.
"The more we can help the community, the more it's going to grow our business," she said. "We all care and we all want to be involved."
It's a philosophy that has served...
Frank Margulis: Don't make my mistakes
September 30, 2009Amanda Estes
Like most HME providers, Frank Margulis thought he understood the rules. Then he was charged with obstructing a Medicare audit. In 2005, he was sentenced to five months in a federal prison camp and five months of house arrest. Now a free man, Margulis will share his story during his Medtrade session, “Avoiding Legal Landmines: Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”
HME News: What was the basis of the lawsuit?
Frank Margulis: When we gathered CMNs for a routine audit, we noticed that only the...
Webb Medical Systems: Success one customer at a time
September 30, 2009John Andrews
As is the case with many modern HME companies, the roots of Webb Medical Systems are in retail pharmacy.
Sharon Webb's parents founded Reading Medical in 1971 as a corner drug store and a decade later she stepped in to expand it. A marketing professional, Sharon sensed the potential of durable medical equipment in the early 1980s, and together with her husband Dick grew the company into a comprehensive rehab and mobility business with a strong retail component that now anchors a shopping plaza in...
Obesity drives bariatric market
September 30, 2009John Andrews
As has been the case for several years now, America's obesity epidemic continues to warrant the manufacturing of thicker, stronger, heavy-duty medical equipment. This means there is more opportunity than ever for HME providers who want to pursue this specialty market.
Statistics provided by Exeter, Pa.-based Pride Mobility illustrate the extent of the obesity problem: More than one-third of U.S. adults are classified as clinically obese (more than 72 million people) and obesity in adults has reportedly...
Respiratory provider lands on elite list
September 30, 2009HME News Staff
When it comes to home medical equipment providers, Extrakare is in a class by itself.
The five-year-old company, which has grown 834.6% since 2004, recently turned up on Inc. magazine's 2009 list of America's 500 fastest-growing private businesses. Extrakare placed 271st on the list. That made the company the 25th fastest-growing private healthcare business in America and the 8th fastest-growing private business in Atlanta. While some specialty pharmacy and home nursing companies appeared on the...
'Aggressive' office requires HME compliance programs
September 30, 2009HME News Staff
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York in October became the first state in the country to require that HME providers have compliance programs in place.
The state put providers on notice in July that, if they bill Medicaid for $500,000 or more annually, they had 90 days to comply with the requirement.
"I welcome it to the extent that it helps to root out fraud and abuse," said Greg LoPresti, COO of Upstate HomeCare in Clinton, N.Y., who has had a compliance program in place for years. "Because that gives everyone...
Frank Margulis: Don't make my mistakes
September 30, 2009Amanda Estes
Like most HME providers, Frank Margulis thought he understood the rules. Then he was charged with obstructing a Medicare audit. In 2005, he was sentenced to five months in a federal prison camp and five months of house arrest. Now a free man, Margulis will share his story during his Medtrade session, “Avoiding Legal Landmines: Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”
HME News: What was the basis of the lawsuit?
Frank Margulis: When we gathered CMNs for a routine audit, we noticed that only the...
Provider combines skills in HME, writing
September 30, 2009HME News Staff
WESTMINSTER, Colo. -Capabilities President Kathryn Arbour in June became the "Denver Mobility Products Examiner" for examiner.com, a Web site that offers news on everything from business to entertainment. Arbour, one of thousands of "examiners," posts news to the Web site several times a week, attracting hundreds of hits. Recent topics: "The hemi adjustable wheelchair" and "Low vision tools for independence." Arbour spoke with HME News in June about how her latest writing gig satisfies her professionally...
Littleton lives large
September 30, 2009HME News Staff
WILMINGTON, Ohio - Littleton Home Care sent a clear message to its community when it moved into a large new facility in September: We're here to stay.
Until recently, Wilmington was the hub of the worldwide delivery service DHL, which employed thousands of area residents. Those jobs are gone, lost to the recession.
"That's been a big hit to the community," said Erin Hoge, vice president. "But we're still here, and we are not going anywhere."
The 30-year-old company has moved several times, always...
Show them the money
September 30, 2009Liz Beaulieu, Editor
The Scooter Store today joined a growing group of industry stakeholders that are taking the OIG to task for a report claiming the power mobility industry enjoys enormous profits. That's "laughable," says Doug Harrison, CEO and founder. The OIG, he says, overlooks these services associated with doing business with Medicare:
? Customer Intake, Education and Interaction
? Documentation Collection and Management
? Delivery Set Up, Service, Warehousing,...