Archive: April 2012
The mystery of the antique wheelchair
April 30, 2012Elizabeth Deprey
NRRTS member Wayne Smith came across an antique wicker back wheelchair recently.
Wayne is now on the hunt for more info and maybe someone who could help him track the wheelchair's travels before it was found in southern Oregon.
Medstar's Gerry Dickerson thinks it might be Civil War era. Another source told Wayne the manufacturer might be Gendron, and it might be from around 1940.
Anyone who might have some clues for him, please feel free to leave a comment here...
'We have a lot of work ahead of us,' CMS says
April 27, 2012HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Medicare should remain solvent in the short-term, but its future is still unknown, according to the annual Medicare Trustees Report released last week.Medicare is expected to remain solvent until 2024, the same year shown in last year's report.“The Trustees Report tells us that while Medicare is stable for now, we have a lot of work ahead of us to guarantee its future,” stated Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in a press release.In 2011, Medicare covered 48.7 million...
Update: Nichole Medical vs. TriCenturion
April 27, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
PHILADELPHIA - Dominic Rotella, the former HME provider who won an audit on appeal and who is now suing TriCenturion, the CMS contractor that conducted the audit, for $10 million in damages had his day in court April 20.In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District here, Rotella's attorney, David Hollar, argued that Nichole Medical Equipment & Supply was driven out of business by TriCenturion's “unlawful” audit and, therefore, deserves damages. When asked by one of the three judges...
Invacare briefs shareholders on FDA, earnings
April 27, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare expects to engage a third-party to audit its compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations in the fourth quarter of this year, company officials said during a conference call this week to discuss first quarter earnings.Invacare and the FDA still haven't finalized an agreement to address the agency's concerns at the company's corporate headquarters and wheelchair manufacturing facility here, but the company has been working toward a resolution since, at...
Legislative update: Hot seat, PR machine and caught on camera
April 27, 2012Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - It looks like Medicare fraudsters have moved on from home medical equipment.At a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on April 24, Health and Human Services Inspector General told lawmakers that efforts to push fraud out of the HME have been successful. Now in the hot seat: home health and community mental health."In the past, we've been more of the focus, with (lawmakers) asking questions about DME," said Stacey Harms, manager of government affairs for AAHomecare, who attended...
In brief: CMS finalizes NPI policy, Drive builds web stores
April 27, 2012HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS last week published a final rule in the Federal Register that requires all HME providers to include their National Provider Identifier (NPI) on 1.) all applications to enroll in Medicare and Medicaid programs and 2.) all claims for payment submitted under Medicare and Medicaid programs. The rule also requires physicians and other professionals who are permitted to order and certify covered items and services for Medicare beneficiaries to be enrolled in the program; and mandates document...
New emphasis on patient release forms for complex rehab
April 27, 2012Elizabeth Deprey
YARMOUTH, Maine - If complex rehab providers want to help preserve access to equipment and services for Medicaid recipients, they need to do a better job getting patients to sign release forms, industry stakeholders say.NCART'S Medicaid Committee has been working to challenge denials and overturn negative policies in various states, but without release forms, its efforts often hit a wall."That's been our biggest issue," said Rita Hostak, an executive committee member for NCART and vice president...
Dangerous acronyms
April 27, 2012Elizabeth Deprey
We're heading toward the final stretch of Friday afternoon here at HME News World HQ, and I thought I'd share a little story with you guys to perk you up to make it to the finish line.
Back in the olden days, when I first started at HME News (last April) Liz asked me to write some story for the mobility section and to talk to Simon Margolis from NRRTS.
I nodded my head, walked back to my cube, and promptly forgot who I was supposed to contact. However, I did remember the organization, so I hopped...
RESNA backs up ultralight wheelchairs
April 26, 2012Elizabeth Deprey
ARLINGTON, Va. - A fully-customizable ultralight manual wheelchair can prevent injuries and pain, and improve functionality, according to a new RESNA position paper.
The "RESNA Position on the Application of Ultralight Manual Wheelchairs," released April 18, combines research with current best clinical practices to support the use of customizable ultralight manual wheelchairs.
"There are ultralight wheelchairs that are being produced that are not customizable," said Andrea Van Hook, RESNA communications...
Home Health Depot adds 2,500 patients
April 25, 2012Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS - Home Health Depot continues its growth spurt with the acquisition of RCS Management's respiratory business, it announced April 24.The deal gives Home Health Depot about 2,500 new patients.“We are committed to being the most responsive respiratory and sleep therapy equipment company in the Midwest," stated Nathan Feltman, president of Home Health Depot, in a release.Home Health Depot has seen its respiratory business grow over the past several years, which it credits to investments...