Archive: May 2016
CQRC: Slow down bid program
May 31, 2016HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Council for Quality Respiratory Care says the findings of a recent Office of Inspector General report further demonstrate the need to slow down the national rollout of Medicare's competitive bidding program.“Federal policymakers should carefully evaluate the risk for implementing cuts too fast and take measures to ensure access to quality patient care is prioritized and protected,” said Dan Starck, chairman of the CQRC, a coalition of home respiratory therapy providers...
Proposed changes for surety bonds: Counter abuses to the program, or place too heavy burdens on providers?
May 31, 2016HME News Staff
On March 1, 2016, CMS published a proposed rule that seeks to address a growing number of abuses of the federal healthcare program by certain Medicare providers. The rule* titled “Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs; Program Integrity Enhancements to the Provider Enrollment Process” includes a number of provisions that directly concern providers and suppliers of Medicare.
These include an increase in requirements for disclosure of affiliations by providers,...
Short takes: Quantum Rehab, Inogen
May 31, 2016HME News Staff
Exeter, Pa.-based Quantum Rehab has continued its partnership with the ALS Association. As a premier-level national partner, the company supports ALS Association events, including the Walk to Defeat ALS. Chapters of the association have the opportunity to collaborate with Quantum's national network for the Walk and other events…Goleta, Calif.-based Inogen has gone to market with the Inogen One G4 portable oxygen concentrator. The G4 is the company's smallest and lightest POC at 2.8 pounds.
Drive DeVilbiss adds fourth distribution center
May 31, 2016HME News Staff
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. - Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare will open a 232,000-square-foot distribution center in Indianapolis on June 1 to meet growing demand for its products. “We will continue to optimize our supply chain to provide better value and improved service levels to our customers,” said Harvey Diamond, CEO of Drive DeVilbiss, in a press release. Similar to existing centers in South Brunswick, N.J., Atlanta and Rialto, Calif., the center features the latest in automation to ensure...
Industry appeals for 'common sense'
May 27, 2016Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - With precious few Congressional days left to stave off an upcoming second round of Medicare reimbursement cuts, the sense of urgency at the AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference on Wednesday was palpable.
John Letizia, the chairman of the board of the association, set the tone for the event in his opening remarks when he said of the event's more than 200 scheduled Hill visits, “Good luck and let's give them hell.”
Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the association,...
ALJ wait time increases
May 27, 2016Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The wait time for an Administrative Law Judge hearing keeps growing—a symptom of ongoing problems with the audit process, say industry attorneys.“I don't think the problem lies in appeals,” said Ross Burris, an attorney in the Atlanta office of Polsinelli. “The problem lies lower down, either with audits that are too broad, or MACs that are just rubberstamping what the audit contractors are doing.”In the first quarter of 2016, the wait was 796 days. By the...
Wheel:Life gets in the zone
May 27, 2016HME News Staff
CHICAGO - Wheel:Life will act as a facilitator at the new “Abilities Meet Up Zone” at the Chicago Abilities Expo June 24-26. “In the tradition of a town square, the zone will be a dedicated area on the show floor where attendees can engage with their peers, experience the Expo more fully, and enjoy deeper connections as they learn from and share with exhibitors and other experts in the vibrant disability community,” Wheel:Life states in a press release. Lisa Wells, founder...
Universal Software Solutions has 'direct connection' with McKesson
May 27, 2016HME News Staff
DAVISON, Mich. - Universal Software Solutions has added a new product availability feature, streamlining ordering for HME providers. The VendorLink companion to its HDMS allows providers to quickly place orders with McKesson Medical-Surgical, decreasing handling and warehousing costs, and eliminating re-keying and data entry orders, the software vendor says in a press release. “This new integration is a direct connection into the McKesson information system and provides instant information...
ResMed announces positive results from study
May 27, 2016HME News Staff
FLORENCE, Italy - A new study shows adaptive servo-ventilation therapy results in significant improvement in the primary endpoint for people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction who have sleep disordered breathing, ResMed has announced. “These results are important because they are the first to show that addressing sleep-disordered breathing with ASV therapy may improve cardiovascular outcomes for people with preserved ejection fraction heart failure,” said Glenn Richards,...
Insulin pump decision could have chilling effect
May 27, 2016Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - UnitedHealthcare's recent decision to only cover insulin pumps provided by Medtronic is bad news all around, say industry stakeholders.In May, the insurance giant announced it had inked an agreement with the medical device maker to serve as exclusive provider of insulin pumps to its members.“To take away beneficiary choice over economics is not a good thing,” said Dan Gooch, owner of Pal-Med in Columbia, S.C., which offers pumps from Medtronic, Animas and Tandem. “I...