Archive: October 2021
ResMed makes dent in $300M goal
October 29, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
SAN DIEGO – ResMed posted a 40% increase in sales for CPAP devices in the U.S., Canada and Latin America in the first quarter of the company’s fiscal year 2022, driven in part by increased demand created by a competitor’s recall.
Company officials previously said they expect the recall to result in incremental revenue from device sales of $300 million to $350 million for fiscal year 2022 but meeting that goal will depend on their ability to address supply chain issues.
“We...
Invacare expects to end year on ‘strong note’
October 29, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare took a number of measures in the third quarter to address the supply chain issues that have dampened sales and gross margins this year, and it expects to see the benefits of those in the fourth quarter, company officials say.
Invacare, for example, has expanded its network of freight providers for more timely shipments, found ways to improve staffing levels to increase throughput and further increased inventory to mitigate supply chain uncertainties.
“We’re...
Homecare Champion Steve Ackerman: ‘Everyone should feel responsible’
October 29, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
SILVER SPRING, Md. – Early in his HME career, Steve Ackerman used to jump in his car with a “bag of claims” to take to the fiscal intermediary for Medicare and “go argue with them.”
“That was the appeals process at that point,” said Ackerman, president and CEO of Spectrum Medical, who was named the 2021 Van Miller Homecare Champion in October for his advocacy work. “It’s a good example of how the information on early fee for service and...
COVID infusion therapy shifts to the home
October 29, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – The Delta variant of COVID-19 has accelerated demand for monoclonal antibody therapy provided in the home, say home infusion providers, who are stepping up to meet that demand.
“Hospitals don’t have the bandwidth and they don’t want the patients in their settings,” said Greg LoPresti, CEO of Upstate HomeCare in Syracuse, N.Y. “Their intake process takes a long time compared to us. We’ve taken a lot of the caseloads off hospitals.”
In...
In brief: Emergency preparedness, RehabPulse investment, Permobil hero
October 29, 2021HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM, state and regional HME associations and other stakeholders have launched a survey to help guide an Emergency Preparedness for Home Medical Equipment Suppliers Committee that was formed earlier this year.
Information from the 10-question survey on provider experiences during disasters will be collected and sent to appropriate officials who may be able to assist with improved processes and programs. Committee members have already met with Tangita Daramola,...
AAG, VGM coordinate aging in place
October 29, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
IRVINE, Calif. – Seniors may want to age in place, but their homes aren’t set up for it – that’s where a new partnership between AAG and VGM Live At Home comes in, says Scott Harkless, vice president of enterprise partnerships at AAG.
As part of the partnership, VGM Live At Home members will now be able to connect their senior customers directly with AAG loan officers in their local areas to help them fund home modification projects.
“We’re both...
Call to duty: O&P Woman of the Year pushes recognition of the clinician
October 29, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Ashlie White isn’t an O&P clinician but, as the daughter of a prosthetist, she grew up in the profession. After beginning a career in documentary work and journalism, she went to work at her family’s O&P clinic, eventually landing at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, where she serves as director of health policy and strategic alliances.
“I was always called back to the patient advocacy of the work,” she said. “The exposure to the change that...
AASM expands outreach
October 29, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine will use a new grant from the Centers for Disease Control to reach the millions of Americans who don’t know they have obstructive sleep apnea, says Dr. Raman Malhotra, president.
“OSA is very common and although we tend to see lots of patients in clinic, it’s interesting that 80% are undiagnosed,” he said. “Millions of Americans don’t even know the symptoms or don’t know what to do if they...
HME Provider of the Year: Stephens meets curveballs head-on
October 29, 2021Tracy Orzel
HONESDALE, Penn. – Todd Stephens, COO of Stephens Pharmacy/Northeast Med-Equip, credits the hard work of his team, especially during a pandemic, for elevating the company to a 2021 HME Provider of the Year.
“What I’m most proud of is understanding what our team had to go through to achieve that result,” he said.
Stephens Pharmacy/Northeast Med-Equip was named one of two HME Providers of the Year at the virtual HME News Business Summit in September.
When...
HME Provider of the Year: MSC doesn’t ride out the storm, it leads the charge
October 29, 2021Tracy Orzel
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Medical Service Company has made great strides since 2007, but it’s made the most progress in this past year, says Melissa Seitz, vice president of human resources.
MSC, founded in 1950, was named one of two HME Providers of the Year at the virtual HME News Business Summit in September. It was also named Best Home Medical Equipment Provider in 2007.
“We didn’t really sit back and ride the storm out (in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit),”...