Archive: April 2010
Mal Mixon suffers stroke; AHP talks bankruptcy
April 30, 2010Mike Moran
We received two big pieces of news this morning: Invacare CEO Mal Mixon has suffered a mild stroke; and American HomePatient plans to restructure its debt and go private.
In a press release issued this morning, Mal stated the following: "I have suffered a mild stroke, but fortunately, my condition is stable and my doctors have told me the prognosis for a full recovery is favorable. I look forward to returning to Invacare soon to full duty."
Mal is an icon and has worked tirelessly on behalf...
Rehab industry on cusp of 'paradigm shift'
April 29, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
DULLES, Va. -- With 54 consumers accompanying complex rehab providers on Capitol Hill last week as part of the Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy Conference (CELA), the industry has finally turned a corner, stakeholders say.
On the day before the visits, Jeff Leonard, publisher of New Mobility, a magazine for consumers, told attendees during a presentation on consumer self-advocacy: "Tomorrow begins the paradigm shift in this industry."
By offering scholarships, NRRTS was able to attract...
Rehab providers rework employee salaries
April 29, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Reimbursement pressures have forced some wheelchair providers to rethink how they pay their rehab technology suppliers (RTSs) and assistive technology professionals (ATPs).
Provider Tim Pederson recently transitioned from paying his three ATPs straight salaries to salaries plus commission. If the ATPs want their sales to count toward their commission, however, they have to select products from the company's formulary.
"We get a better margin for the products on the formulary," said Pederson, CEO...
Face-to-face requirement could bite providers
April 29, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - A little-understood requirement that calls for Medicare beneficiaries to have a face-to-face visit with a physician could place unfair burdens on HME providers, say industry watchers.
Included in the recently enacted health care reform legislation, the provision states that for durable medical equipment, a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist must have seen the patient during the six-month period preceding the order.
"We feel it should be...
In brief: Meek support grows, Mixon suffers stroke, AHP for sale
April 29, 2010HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - On Friday, the number of co-sponsors for H.R. 3790, the bill to repeal national competitive bidding, had climbed to 227. Industry stakeholders are still awaiting a CBO score and seeking a sponsor for a Senate companion bill. To that end, the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers is trying to put a bug in the ear of health legislative aids in senate offices, said president and CEO Wayne Stanfield. The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness has posted hundreds of...
Feds 'double and triple check' competitive bids
April 29, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
BALTIMORE - Some providers who submitted bids for Round 1.2 of national competitive bidding received an email from the program on Wednesday, seeking proof of licensure.
Under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), bidders must meet all state and local license requirements to provide the products and services within a competitive bidding area (CBA). The rules vary by product and state.
"They are double and triple checking this time," said Walt Gorski, vice president...
Respironics CEO Spence moves on; former CEO Liken joins Vapotherm
April 29, 2010HME News Staff
MURRYSVILLE, Pa. -- Philips Respironics CEO Don Spence will leave the company May 8 to become president and CEO of Accellent, a provider of outsourced precision manufacturing and engineering services to the medical device industry.
Philips Respironics, a manufacturer of sleep and respiratory products, plans to introduce Spence's successor sometime next month, a company spokesperson told HME News today.
Spence replaces Robert Kirby, who resigned in November 2009.
"Don brings proven leadership abilities...
That's one way for complex rehab to get noticed in D.C.
April 29, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
If you've ever been inside the office of a congressman in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., you know it's pretty small. It's definitely smaller than the office of a senator in the Hart Senate Office Building. (It's D.C., after all, where everything is hierarchal.)
So when you walk into said office as a party of four, plus a six-year-old in a complex power wheelchair equipped with a communication device and a vent, things get a little tight.
We didn't...
Providers 'play it safe'
April 29, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - Some HME providers are putting off investing in their companies until they have a better idea what the future holds.
"Our philosophy right now is to play it safe," said Richard Lerner, president of Allcare Medical in Sayreville, N.J. "We're keeping our expenses under control, paying down our debt, and watching to see what happens. We want to be as financially responsible as possible."
Providers cite national competitive bidding; the healthcare reform bill, or "Obamacare" as more...
Breast prostheses could get coverage boost
April 28, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - In what's described by industry stakeholders as a "win-win," a bill that would require Medicare to pay for custom breast forms was introduced April 22.
"We're very excited about this bill," said Rhonda Turner, president of the American Association of Breast Care Professionals, which worked on the legislation. "There is no rhyme or reason why these are not being paid for."
Medicare already has a code--and an allowable--for custom breast forms, but local coverage determinations (LCDs)...