Archive: October 2018
NHIA to CMS: Don't 'shortchange' home infusion
October 30, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - With a final rule not expected until November, industry stakeholders continue to press CMS for changes to provisions related to home infusion.Board members of the National Home Infusion Association and others met with Demitrios Kouzoukas, principal deputy administrator of CMS and director of the Center for Medicare, on Sept. 17 to urge the agency to strike a provision that would require that a nurse be present in the home the day an infusion drug is administered. “To the extent...
Do you have the door wide open to write-offs?
October 30, 2018Guest Commentary
“We're going to have to write this off.” A phrase that no manager wants to say or hear in their business. Unfortunately, many HME companies still use paper-based systems to track patient documentation and forms, which opens the door for write-off risks.
With paper comes the potential for lost documents and human error. Below are the top three pain points providers regularly experience using paper-based systems and how switching to an electronic system can alleviate risk and avoid...
Market opportunity: Consider this: To expand or not?
October 30, 2018Rob Schlissberg
A. As a provider you undoubtedly face many challenges, whether from changes in reimbursement, staffing, operations, or competitive pressures. With all these potential focus areas, it's hard to determine where to allocate your limited resources. For some, growth and diversification is the answer.Why? This is ultimately the question you need to ask yourself. Why do I want to expand, and why is it important? When working with a provider partner, the biggest question we ask is, how many of your patients...
Leadership: Train your mind
October 30, 2018Kelly Franko
A. Many find that beginning the day with 20 minutes of gratitude and mindful awareness helps the balance of the day flow in a more calming way. Taking 20 minutes every morning to “practice” mindfulness improves our ability to focus and think clearly as leaders so that we can make the complex decisions required of us. Now, more than ever, leaders need to train themselves to be fully present.
Many companies today promote mindful practices to improve the health and decision making of...
Equipment managment: maximize ROI
October 30, 2018Will Ross
A. The decision between buying or renting equipment has challenged business owners for years. The question most business leaders ask is “Do I have the right systems and processes in place to get a good ROI on what I purchase?” Here are the areas you need to focus on to get the best ROI on your equipment:
Negotiate price, warranty and financing
Think about the total offer from the beginning. Manufacturers have many levers to pull to keep your business; be a smart purchaser....
'Smart' technology boosts management
October 30, 2018John Andrews
Because diabetes patients are so involved in the management of their disease, technology is key to helping them stay healthy. And because technology continues to advance in the diabetes market, that means there are plenty of opportunities for HME providers to support these patients, specialists in the field say.
For instance, advanced blood glucose monitoring technology includes enhanced connectivity of devices and data analysis capabilities, which has led to the development of smarter diabetes...
Certain products must carry standardized warning labels
October 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Manufacturers and distributors are grappling with updates to California's Proposition 65 that went into effect Aug. 30.Prop 65 requires businesses to warn individuals in California about products containing 900-plus listed chemicals “known to the state to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.” What's new: standardized warning labels. Manufacturers must include them on these products, distributors must incorporate them into their websites and...
Task force teases out issues
October 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ARLINGTON, Va. - The Clinician Task Force (CTF) has given stakeholders more ammunition in their fight to stop CMS from applying competitive bidding pricing to accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs.The CTF in September wrote a letter to Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and John Larson, D-Conn., sharing examples from clinicians of how the cuts have impacted their ability to provide the most appropriate equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.“It is very clear to those of us who routinely evaluate...
Aeroflow names RN to lead new division
October 30, 2018HME News Staff
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Aeroflow Healthcare has tapped Michelle Worley, a registered nurse, to manage its new pulmonary division. Formerly the company's sleep division, Aeroflow Pulmonary incorporates more products and services, such as ventilation and the AffloVest mobile airway clearance therapy. Prior to this role, Worley was Aeroflow's clinical operations manager, responsible for leading the clinician's team. “Michelle's experience with Aeroflow and as a registered nurse makes her ideal to lead...
Southeastern Medical switches gears
October 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
LAKELAND, Fla. - A long-time ATP/CRTS has taken over Southeastern Medical Supply and plans to narrow its focus from full-line HME to complex rehab.Jose Escobedo, a 30-year veteran of the complex rehab industry, took over as president and CEO in July.“My thought is to make this primarily a complex rehab company that does some DME,” he said. “We're going to keep products like beds and rollators and standard wheelchairs, because they can lead into complex rehab.”Escobedo used...