Archive: February 2016
CMS stonewalls Congress on accessories
February 26, 2016Tracy Orzel
WASHINGTON - CMS has yet to respond to calls by lawmakers to restore reimbursement for accessories for Group 3 power wheelchairs by March 1, industry stakeholders say.“Congress is very, very frustrated that CMS has stonewalled them,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “They're continuing to pressure CMS on this issue, because it's not a polite request. It's a law.”In January, CMS announced it will use an adjusted fee schedule...
O2 Concepts gets connected
February 26, 2016Liz Beaulieu, Editor
NEWTOWN, Conn. - O2 Concepts launched its “DNA technology” in September, but already about half of the manufacturer's HME provider customers are taking advantage of it.The technology allows HME providers to log on to any web-enabled device to access data from a Verizon modem in the manufacturer's portable oxygen concentrators. (DNA stands for dynamic network analysis.)Connected devices are the future of home oxygen therapy, said Rob Kent, CEO of O2 Concepts, which has been working on...
PharMerica's revenues, income blow up
February 26, 2016HME News Staff
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - PharMerica Corp., a provider of pharmacy services, including specialty home infusion, has reported fourth quarter revenues of $520.6 million compared to $523.5 million for the same period in 2014. Net income was $20.2 million vs. $3.2 million. The company reported full-year revenues of $2.03 billion compared to $1.89 billion for 2014. Net income was $35.1 million vs. $6.8 million. PharMerica credited acquisitions, in part, with growing revenues. “During the fourth quarter,...
In brief: CMS ramps up site visits, Mediware adds analytics
February 26, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS will strengthen strategies designed to reinforce provider screening activities by increasing site visits to Medicare-enrolled providers and suppliers. The agency says it will enhance and improve IT systems, and implement continuous data monitoring practices to help make sure practice location data is accurate and in compliance with enrollment requirements. More specifically, CMS says it will use National Site Visit Contractor to increase the number of site visits to Medicare-enrolled...
NHIA finalizes data definitions
February 26, 2016HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Home Infusion Association has released its final set of Standard Definitions for Patient Outcomes Data to establish national benchmarks. The definitions, developed by a volunteer task force, include: adverse drug reaction, emergency department use, unplanned hospitalization, and medication error. "By collecting uniform data, the home and specialty infusion industry will take an important step toward describing and quantifying the value of home infusion as a critical...
Stakeholders draft legislation to fight vent changes
February 26, 2016Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - CMS needs to dial back the wholesale changes it has made to ventilators with little input from the industry, stakeholders say.In January, CMS switched from five ventilator codes to two, and reduced reimbursement by about 33%.“When they are creating codes, providers should have some role in that,” said Stephen Cooper, counselor at K&L Gates, a law firm representing about 30 providers. “Right now, it's somewhat of a black box approach.”K&L Gates has drafted legislative...
ResMed gets 'one-two punch' with Brightree
February 26, 2016Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO - Some may think the price tag too high and the pairing unexpected, but ResMed officials say the company's plan to acquire Atlanta-based Brightree makes all the sense in the world.ResMed announced Feb. 22 that it plans to buy Brightree, a provider of cloud-based business management and clinical software applications to HME companies and home health and hospice agencies, for $800 million, in a cash deal representing a multiple of 18.8x EBITDA, or 13.5x EBITDA with a planned tax benefit of...
At Insulet, revenues grow, but so do net losses
February 26, 2016HME News Staff
BILLERICA, Mass. - Insulet Corp. has reported fourth quarter revenues of $100.1 million, representing year-over-year growth of 38%. It has reported full-year revenues of $324.2 million, year-over-year growth of 12%. Revenues from the company's signature product, the OmniPod Insulin Management System, were up 21% in the fourth quarter and 8% for the year. Net loss for the fourth quarter was $27.3 million, compared to a net loss of $5.4 million for the same period in 2014. Net loss for the year was...
Brightree, McKesson to offer interoperability services
February 25, 2016HME News Staff
BOSTON - CommonWell Health Alliance, a not-for-profit trade association of health IT companies, has made its cross-vendor interoperability services available to its members, including Brightree and McKesson, the association announced today. Of the 10 million Medicare beneficiaries who are discharged from acute care hospitals every year, more than 66% have two or more chronic conditions, while 14% have six or more. “This patient population typically requires care from multiple providers in a...
Idaho strikes down licensing bill
February 25, 2016HME News Staff
BOISE, Idaho -A bill that would have added new licensing requirements for DME providers in Idaho was voted down this week. The bill, SB 1264, would have required providers to have a location staffed during reasonable business hours, and to have sufficient inventory and staff to service or repair products under the state Board of Pharmacy. Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little cast the tie-breaking vote after the Senate deadlocked, according to The Spokesman-Review.