Archive: October 2020
In brief: Bid amounts for braces, changes for CGMs and external pumps, provider reactions
October 30, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – CMS on Oct. 27 announced Round 2021 single payment amounts for off-the-shelf back braces and knee braces.
The agency has made contract offers for back and knee braces in 127 CBAs, a move that it expects to save $600 million for the Medicare program and beneficiaries over the three-year contract period.
CMS is not making offers for back and knee braces in certain CBAs where savings would not be achieved. Payment in those areas will be based on adjusted fee schedule...
ResMed rides shift in product mix
October 30, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO - ResMed benefited from $40 million in sales for ventilators and accessories in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2021 - again helping to compensate for sluggish new patient volume for CPAP devices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the last quarter, ResMed recorded $125 million in sales for vents and, at the time, the company was “muted” on whether demand for vents would continue into the first quarter of 2021. It did, but ResMed expects sales to be “significantly...
United Spinal Association appoints new leader
October 30, 2020HME News Staff
KEW GARDENS, N.Y. - United Spinal Association has named Vincenzo Piscopo as president and CEO. Piscopo, a wheelchair user who was paralyzed from a herniated disk in 2010, previously worked at The Coca-Cola Company for 25 years in a variety of strategic roles both in the U.S. and internationally, most recently as community and stakeholder relations director, where he managed and cultivated company relationships with disability, veteran and Hispanic organizations and advocates. “With the help...
Providers commend CMS on changes to Round 2021
October 30, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS's decision not to push forward with the majority of Round 2021 of the competitive bidding program has been met with support from numerous providers.
CMS on Oct. 27 announced new payment amounts for off-the-shelf back and knee braces but not for 13 other product categories, including CPAP and oxygen therapy, because there were no expected savings.
In light of the ongoing public health emergency, it's the right thing to do, says Casey Hoyt, CEO of Viemed...
Invacare: 'We deliver in tough times'
October 30, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ELYRIA, Ohio - COVID-19 may be flaring up again in different parts of the world, including the U.S., but Invacare officials don't expect the impact of these subsequent waves to be as severe as the first wave, helping them to see the fourth quarter and full-year 2020 more optimistically.
When the pandemic first hit earlier this year, “we didn't have a playbook,” said Matthew Monaghan, chairman, president and CEO, but now “we've learned to deal with it.”...
Round 2021 raises big question: Where should pricing be?
October 30, 2020Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders hailed CMS's decision not to move forward with most of Round 2021 as a “watershed” moment, but they also criticized the agency for trying to have it both ways.
CMS on Oct. 27 announced new single payment amounts for off-the-shelf knee and back braces but not for 13 other product categories because they did “not achieve expected savings.”
“You can't have a one-way bid program,” said Tom Ryan, president...
ResMed 'encouraged' by sequential improvements in patient volume
October 30, 2020HME News Staff
SAN DIEGO - ResMed reported revenue of $751.9 million for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2021, a 10% increase compared to the same period in 2020. Net income was $178.4 million vs. $120.1 million, a 48% increase. Revenue in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, excluding the company's Software as a Service, grew 9%, driven by strong sales of masks and increased demand for ventilators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by a decrease in demand for sleep devices. “Our first quarter...
Invacare expects acceleration in Q4
October 30, 2020HME News Staff
ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare reported net sales of $211.9 million for the third quarter, a 10.1% decrease compared to the same period last year. Net sales increased from Q2 to Q3, however, by 8%. In North America, Invacare reported net sales of $88.1 million, a 1.2% increase, driven by respiratory products and partially offset by lower sales of mobility and seating and non-bed lifestyle products, which continue to be negatively impacted by pandemic-related health restrictions. Invacare expects, however,...
Relief for accessories inches forward
October 30, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - CMS took the next step in permanently exempting complex rehab manual wheelchairs and accessories from Medicare's competitive bidding program in a proposed rule published on Oct 27.
Congress late last year passed a bill telling CMS to do just that, and the proposed rule “takes those components and puts them into the statutes and regulations around competitive bidding,” says Don Clayback, executive director of NCART.
“It was the expected next step, in terms...
180 Medical named Best Place to Work
October 29, 2020HME News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - 180 Medical has been named one of Oklahoma's Best Places to Work by the Best Companies Group and the Journal Record. It's the provider's 11th time on the list, which is based on anonymous employee surveys on working conditions. This year's survey included questions about how well companies handled COVID-19 workplace communication and safety. “In light of the unprecedented year that we all have experienced due to COVID, it is a great feeling to know that...