Archive: March 2010
Industry steps up PR efforts for mobility
March 31, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ARLINGTON, Va. - AAHomecare has a new name for itself: the "truth squad."
The association and its Complex Rehab Mobility Council (CRMC) has set into motion a public relations (PR) campaign that it hopes will put an end to, or at least put a dent in, the recycled news stories about the big difference between Medicare and Internet pricing for power wheelchairs.
"The OIG's Internet pricing myth is one of those issues that keeps rising like a monster in a one of those Hollywood horror movies," said...
What's Mark Roberts providing now? Here's a clue: It costs $57,000
March 31, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
I got an e-mail from Mark Roberts not too long ago. I wrote about Mark in 2007, when his business Arizona Mobility Products, the retail arm of Vantage Mobility International, saw the number of wheelchair accessible vans it sold double in one year. (He got that story framed by the way; he says, "It keeps me going.")
Now Mark's the president of Mobility Conquest, the U.S. distributor of the Conquest, a wheelchair-accessible motorcycle. Here's the story I put together after speaking with...
Is the NSC backlog easing up?
March 31, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
The call came in around 3 this afternoon.
"Theresa, do you remember me?" asked the caller. "I just got my billing number reinstated, but only to March 27. What about all those other months of rental on my equipment?"
That provider's lawmaker had written a letter on his behalf and within two weeks he had his number back, although he is still seeking to bill retroactively the date he relinquished it.
Meanwhile, the volume of calls to the National Supplier Clearinghouse Advisory Committee has dwindled,...
Cramer Decker charges ahead
March 30, 2010Mike Moran
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Cramer Decker Medical added some significant muscle this year when it merged with its parent company, Cramer Decker Industries, one of the nation's largest wholesaler of compressed gas equipment.
"We are looking to grow, and we have a lot of financial backing," said Scott Decker, president of Cramer Decker Medical. "You need that support to keep your business moving in an upward direction."
The merger coincides with the company's addition of DME products to its traditional...
HME Talk says 98% of providers like HME News best
March 30, 2010Mike Moran
This is flattering and came out of the blue. Earlier this month HME Talk (no relation to HME News) asked its members what industry publication (HME News, Homecare Magazine or HME Business) they read the most.
Guess what? We won.
Here's what HME Talk (an online discussion board, blog, etc.) wrote a week after it posted the survey:
HME News is Tops on Survey
While hardly scientific, our survey last week asking HME Talkers which publications they read (HME News, Homecare Magazine, and HME Business),...
Hey mom, are we there yet?
March 29, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
I was reading the latest issue of Newsweek yesterday and one article caught my eye. It had to do with how far, and not so far, women have come in the workplace over the last 40 years.
In 1970, 46 female employees ("dollies," they were called) sued Newsweek for gender discrimination. Fast-forward to 2010: Much has changed, says the article, titled "Are we there yet?" but sadly, women (everywhere, not just at the magazine) have not totally caught up. In 2010, women still earn only 77 cents on the dollar...
Frank Margulis: Don't make my mistakes
March 29, 2010Amanda 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...
Respiratory providers second guess themselves
March 29, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
What does it say that providers who specialize in respiratory products and services—long thought to be the bread and butter of the HME industry—are now thinking about embracing hospital beds, walkers and other run-of-the-mill equipment?
Well, things aren't what they used to be, providers say.
"As a respiratory specialty company, we're now asking ourselves, 'Do we expand our product line?'" asked John Reed, executive vice president and COO of Pro2 Respiratory Services in Cincinnati....
Calling the entire HME industry: Read this immediately and please help stop competitive bidding
March 29, 2010Mike Moran
It's mission critical on the competitive bidding front, and the industry needs every single provider, consultant, manufacturers reps—all industry stakeholders—to help end this wrong-headed program once and for all.
The need is more urgent than ever.
The healthcare reform legislation signed into law last week accelerates the bidding program. It expands bidding to 21 additional metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and applies prices nationwide by 2016.
Nationwide means you!
How can you...
Medtrade renews commitment to industry
March 29, 2010John Andrews
Medtrade Show Director Kevin Gaffney can't stress enough that this year's event is about one thing above all: Commitment to the HME industry. As various external forces weigh heavily upon Medtrade's core attendees, Gaffney wants them to know that show organizers are doing everything in their power to support them during these turbulent times. He recently spoke with HME News about how Medtrade is focused on presenting attendees with the best programs possible to help them overcome the challenges they...