Archive: May 2019
Customer financing: Offer options as advantage
May 31, 2019Tim Donovan
A. In a crowded market like medical equipment, it can be hard to stand out. As customers are faced with more choices, identifying and understanding the target audience for your products is important. Recently we completed a generational health study which shed light into how each generation pays for care. We learned that customers in each generation can struggle to pay out-of-pocket healthcare and equipment costs. When insurance coverage for equipment decreases, customers may be more inclined to...
E-prescribing: Eliminate guessing
May 31, 2019David Gelbard
A. In 2019, consumers have never had more transparency and efficiency when ordering items in their everyday lives. You know when those shoes you ordered on Amazon will be delivered, when the Uber driver will pick you up, and you'll get an alert from Delta if your flight is delayed. But for some reason, a patient isn't given the same basic level of transparency for the equipment they desperately need, in today's healthcare world.Currently, most caregivers still order medical equipment for patients...
In brief: Crunch time for non-invasive vents, with sign-on letter approaching deadline and patient organizations weighing in
May 31, 2019HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The deadline for a sign-on letter in the House of Representatives that asks CMS to drop non-invasive vents from Round 2021 of competitive bidding could be as early as June 5, AAHomecare reports.“It's critical that we make a concerted effort over the next few days to ask House members to join the letter,” the association stated in a bulletin.AAHomecare asks that stakeholders contact their representatives by phone or email to ask them to sign on to the letter, spearheaded by...
PECO Medical drops out
May 31, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - PECO Medical is exiting the urology market, according to a letter to its customers.“After an extensive review of the market and our prospects for future success, we made the difficult decision to exist the urology business effective June 1, 2019,” wrote Greg Bosco, president of Genairex and Peco Medical, in the letter. “We plan to continue to ship urological products and support our customers through the end of May.”Genairex, better known as Securi-T,...
Medical Xpress to launch 'store within a store' for CBD
May 31, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
DALLAS - HME provider Medical Xpress stands ready to launch its new CBD division, CBD Xpress, as soon as the ink is dry on a new law.Texas lawmakers recently passed a bill that would legalize hemp and hemp-derived extracts, like CBD oil, and Gov. Greg Abbott is widely expected to sign it into law.“This is the next progressive step,” said Greg McGough, director of retail operations. “We've been working on this for close to a year. There's a lot of bad information out there and a...
ResMed: 'We're only getting started'
May 31, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO - How much has ResMed grown in the past 30 years? Here's one way to look at it: The company reported revenues of $1 million for its first fiscal year in 1990; it reported revenues of $662.2 million for the third quarter alone for fiscal year 2019. ResMed marked its 30th anniversary last week and Robert Douglas, president and COO, spoke with HME News about the company's evolution and the increasing role of data in its success. “We're really only getting started,” he said.HME...
Reporter's notebook: Cash customer? ABN still gold standard
May 31, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
With more and more providers switching their focus from Medicare to cash sales, it's unsurprising that there's occasional confusion about whether an advance beneficiary notice is needed.
HME News recently received an email from a small DME supplier that has not billed Medicare in four years and recently learned they still needed to complete ABNs for all Medicare beneficiaries.
“We have people come into our business that have Medicare but are choosing to pay out of pocket because...
Respiratory Solutions: Reduce liability, rest easy
May 31, 2019Mike Chorney
A. Firebreaks are incredibly important and inexpensive devices that can save patients' lives and reduce injuries.Crucial componentHousehold fire is an important concern for home oxygen patients. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of fires, but they can also be started by candles, gas stoves or other sources of ignition. The firebreak is a thermal fuse that stops the flow of oxygen during therapy, in the event that the downstream tubing is accidentally ignited. They are fitted to the patient's...
CBD: Consider quality, transparency
May 31, 2019Andrew Amoth
A. HME providers see patients daily that currently use or may benefit from hemp products. These types of suppliers are proving to be a valuable resource to the patients they serve. In an environment containing a wide variety of options, these types of customers rely on their trusted healthcare providers in selecting the solution that best fits their needs. Quality, concentration, and transparency are among the key considerations when selecting a hemp brand with which to align.
Passing of the 2018...
ResMed adds exec in South Asia to increase awareness
May 31, 2019HME News Staff
SAN DIEGO - ResMed has appointed Shubhi Khurana as general manager for India and South Asia to create market development and awareness initiatives to educate the public, medical community and decision-makers about the prevalence of sleep and respiratory diseases in the region, as well as how to diagnose and treat them at home with cloud-connectable non-invasive devices. “Sleep apnea and COPD are global health epidemics and are especially prevalent in Asia,” said Justin Leong, president...