Archive: June 2017
VGM Fulfillment, Brightree integrate technologies
June 30, 2017HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa -VGM Fulfillment has partnered with Brightree to integrate technologies that will enable Brightree customers to automate the ordering process, enabling drop-shipping from VGM Fulfillment's warehouse, according to a press release. “Automating the order process allows Brightree customers to push orders directly to us,” said Shalini Douglas, implementation manager for VGM Fulfillment. “It saves time and gets the orders delivered to patients faster and more efficiently....
Liberty Medical looks to sell assets
June 30, 2017Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Mail-order supplier Liberty Medical may close on deal next month to sell the majority of its assets.If the deal closes, the company will lay off 263 employees Aug. 27, according to a local news report. Among the affected positions: president, chief financial officer and director of human resources.Liberty has undergone much turmoil over the past few years. In December 2012, a group of Liberty executives bought the company from its parent company, Express Scripts. Two months...
In brief: Senators circulate letter, Liberty looks to sell
June 30, 2017HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A letter urging HHS Secretary Tom Price to use regulatory authority to provide bid relief in non-bid areas is now circulating in the United States Senate.
The letter, which is spearheaded by Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and also addressed to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, states: “We are concerned that CMS did not fully consider the costs of providing DME in non-competitively bid areas or the length of time needed by providers to adjust to the change.”
A...
Cures adjustments require planning
June 30, 2017Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - Sure, getting the money they're owed will be great, but are HME providers ready to process adjusted claims?
“There are, surprisingly, a lot of internal process considerations,” said Andrea Stark, a reimbursement consultant for MiraVista. “These are going to be some of the more complex claims in your system.”
N689, a recently announced remark code that will allow providers to identify adjustments will help, but other process considerations include...
Women's health advocates ready to drum up support for legislation
June 30, 2017Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - A recently introduced bill seeking Medicare coverage for wigs is an exciting step forward for women's health, say advocates.“It's a relatively inexpensive DME item but it certainly carries a lot of importance for a woman undergoing chemo—the hair loss is an extremely difficult piece,” said Mary Aframe, owner and founder of Women's Image Center in Worcester and Leominster, Mass., who has worked for nearly 12 years to try and get a bill introduced. “This is quite...
Patient engagement 'crux' of COPD management
June 30, 2017HME News Staff
YARMOUTH, Maine - COPD patients are more likely to be active and participate in pulmonary rehab if they have social support, according to a report published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. Researchers looked at the association between healthy behaviors and two kinds of social support: structural, the type of social network a person has such as being married or living with a partner or caregiver, and functional, the support a person perceives his/her social network provides. They found...
Sunset Healthcare to distribute BellaMa products
June 29, 2017HME News Staff
WALNUT, Calif. - BellaMa, a manufacturer of breast pumps and breastfeeding accessories, has partnered with Sunset Healthcare Solutions to distribute its line of breast pumps to the home medical equipment market. Sunset is a manufacturer and distributor of CPAP, oxygen and other homecare products. “We have had great success adding value to the home healthcare industry through our dedication to service and providing quality medical supplies,” said Greg Wood, chief development officer for...
People: United Spinal, InfuSystem, CHAP
June 29, 2017HME News Staff
Lisa Wells has been named to United Spinal Association's Board of Directors. Wells, vice president of marketing at Cure Medical, has more than 20 years of experience in public relations and marketing communications for medical device, medical supply and health technology companies and has created two social media communities for wheelchairs users…Darrell Montgomery and Christopher Sansone have been elected to InfuSystem's Board of Directors. Montgomery has nearly 30 years experience in operational...
Brightree plans summit
June 29, 2017HME News Staff
ATLANTA - Brightree will host another Brightree Summit at Medtrade in Atlanta. The daylong summit takes place Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. followed by a networking event from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Omni Hotel. The event features three educational tracks (training, executive and operations), and will include providers who are using Brightree successfully. “Brightree customers will share their expertise and reveal their best practices in how to maximize results and be profitable,” said Mark...
Senators circulate sign-on letter
June 29, 2017HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - A letter urging HHS Secretary Tom Price to use regulatory authority to provide bid relief in non-bid areas is now circulating in the United States Senate.
The letter, which is spearheaded by Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and also addressed to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, states: “We are concerned that CMS did not fully consider the costs of providing DME in non-competitively bid areas or the length of time needed by providers to adjust to the change.”
A...