Archive: October 2016
Cheeseheads, zombies and chocolate? It must be Medtrade.
October 31, 2016Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
I touched down in Atlanta Sunday afternoon. Helloooo summertime temps. (I had to break down and commit to turning up the thermostat at home last week so the warm weather was most welcome).
Downtown Atlanta was crazy with tailgate parties and people walking around with large cheese wedges on their heads. Apparently, there was some sort of football game happening? Just kidding. Even I figured out it was the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons—Jay Witter, I hope whoever you were rooting...
Invacare reports losses for third quarter, first nine months of 2016
October 31, 2016HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare this morning reported a net loss of $5 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $7.8 million for the same period last year. It reported net sales of $268.1 million vs. $283.8 million.
Invacare reported a net loss of $25.2 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2016, compared to $23.3 million for the same period last year.
For North America HME, Invacare reported net sales of $98 million for the third quarter of 2016, a 14.5% decrease compared to the same period...
ResMed set to launch 'real winner'
October 28, 2016Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO - ResMed expects mask and accessories growth in the Americas to rebound with the upcoming launch of its AirFit 20 series.ResMed reported flat growth in masks and accessories in the Americas for the first quarter ended Sept. 30, 2016; it reported 4% growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC).“We've gotten some really good early data from the controlled product launches of the F20 in Europe and in the U.S.,” said CEO Mick Farrell during...
In brief: Cuts squeeze providers, patients; Drive gets inspired by rehab
October 28, 2016HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa - Forty percent of the calls it receives through a hotline number are now from patients and caregivers who are being asked to pay out of pocket for their home medical equipment, according to People for Quality Care.
An increasing number of HME providers are filing claims non-assigned, requiring their patients to cover more of the cost of their equipment, PFQC said in an Oct. 24 press release.
“I just received a letter from my oxygen provider saying that they would not be...
CMS finalizes changes to bid program
October 28, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS issued a final rule Oct. 28 with a number of changes to competitive bidding, including establishing bid limits for future rounds of the program based on the fee schedule rates before they were adjusted.
“This will avoid a downward trend where the new, lower bid limits apply to each subsequent round of bidding based on fee schedule rates adjusted using bidding information from the previous round,” the agency stated. “This will help enhance the long-term viability...
Stakeholders take their time with alternative payment model
October 28, 2016Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders have begun developing drafts for an alternative payment model for respiratory care, but they're taking it one step at a time.
“We want to have buy-in from everybody,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. “We want to bring other groups into the discussion, but until we have a couple of models, we are still in the initial discussion phase.”
AAHomecare kick-started the effort earlier this year, after surveying members and...
Medtrade preview: Find out why dentists need to be on your radar
October 28, 2016Jeff Rowe
ATLANTA - Sleep dentists are fast becoming a new identifier of hundreds if not thousands of sleep disordered patients, not all of whom will be suitable for oral appliance therapy, says Medtrade speaker Daniel Brown.In his session at the show, “Dentists in the Sleep Lab - Venturing with Sleep Dentists for PAP Opportunities,” Brown, an attorney with Taylor English Duma LLP, will address the role of the dentist in identifying patients with sleep breathing disorders and the opportunity for...
CMS reviews second draft of e-templates for oxygen
October 28, 2016Tracy Orzel
WASHINGTON - CMS still needs to better clarify which data elements are required to qualify Medicare beneficiaries for home oxygen therapy, says AAHomecare's Kim Brummett.
CMS held a Special Open Door Forum Oct. 26 to review the second draft of its electronic clinical template for home oxygen, including suggested clinical data elements for the order, the face-to-face encounter and the lab test results.
“It's clear that there are some things on there—especially the clinical...
RESNA calls for proposals for annual conference
October 28, 2016HME News Staff
ARLINGTON, Va. - RESNA is now accepting proposals for workshops and instructional courses for its annual conference. The organization will accept proposals until Nov. 30 for RESNA 2017, June 25-29 at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. Conference organizers seek proposals for innovative, interdisciplinary, informative and practical workshops and instructional courses in the following topic areas: computer applications and communications; cognitive and sensory impairments; internationally appropriate...
ConvaTec hits London market with $1.8B IPO
October 27, 2016HME News Staff
LONDON - ConvaTec on Wednesday raised nearly $1.8 billion in London's biggest initial public offering of 2016, according to news reports. The company, which manufactures ostomy, wound, skin, continence and other critical care products, will use the proceeds from the IPO to redeem or repay debt. ConvaTec's shares traded just below their offer price of $2.76, at $2.75. The IPO represents about 33.8% of the company's stock, assuming no exercise of an overallotment option, and will rise to 38.9% if the...