Archive: May 2022
AHA supports scrutiny of Medicare Advantage
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – The American Hospital Association has urged the U.S. Department of Justice to establish a task force to conduct False Claims Act investigations into commercial health insurance companies that are found to routinely deny patients access to services and deny payments to health care providers.
The AHA’s letter follows a recent report from the Office of Inspector General that found Medicare Advantage organizations are violating their obligation to cover the...
AAH to payers: Temporarily relax CPAP requirements
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare has developed a letter that providers can send to payers explaining the CPAP device shortage and asking them to temporarily relax compliance requirements. In the wake of supply chain challenges related to semiconductor chips, manufacturers have released products that don’t have wireless cell modem data tracking technology for recording patient compliance data. The letter asks payers to remove, for a limited period of time, any policy requiring patient compliance...
CMS commits to comment period
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – CMS has committed to seeking public comments on the request to reconsider the national coverage determination for mobility assistive equipment to include power seat elevation and power standing systems no later than August, according to NCART. This 30-day public comment period is the next step in the process. “NCART continues to collaborate with the ITEM Coalition on preparing advocates for this,” it stated in a bulletin. “A website dedicated to this issue will...
Lifeway Mobility grows in NC
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
RALEIGH, N.C. – Lifeway Mobility has expanded its coverage area in North Carolina with a new distribution facility here. The company now offers stair lifts, wheelchair ramps and a variety of basic transfer aid solutions to customers in Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Wilmington and the surrounding areas in eastern North Carolina. “Lifeway Mobility’s expansion in the Carolinas makes it one of the top providers of accessibility solutions in the local area,” said Richard...
NSM gains Momentum
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility has launched NSM Momentum Academy, a series of events designed to educate clinical partners, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care providers, about best practices in mobility solutions and complex rehab technology. “At NSM, our goal is to ensure that more people have access to the most advanced mobility and accessibility solutions available,” said Bill Mixon, CEO of NSM. “Through NSM Momentum,...
F&P selects Future Director
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has selected Tracey Barron to participate in the Future Directors program starting June 1. Barron has more than 25 years of experience across a broad range of health-related roles, including chief of strategy for Southern Cross Healthcare. “We welcome the perspective and experience Tracey will bring,” said Scott St. John, chairman of the board. “She is a proven executive with a deep understanding of public and private health...
F&P adds professor to board
May 31, 2022HME News Staff
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Cather Simpson, a PhD with expertise in lasers and photonics, has been appointed as a non-executive director of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare starting June 1. Simpson is a professor of physics and chemical sciences at the University of Auckland and a partner at Pacific Channel, an early-stage investment company. She is also a director of the International Society for Optics & Photonics (SPIE) and founder/director for Orbis Diagnostics. “We are pleased to announce...
Health systems ‘follow patient’ to provide home infusion
May 27, 2022Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – With demand for home infusion growing, it’s no surprise that some health systems seek to extend their reach into that market and they’re doing it with the help of big names like AmerisourceBergen, say M&A analysts.
In April, AmerisourceBergen, a global health care company focused on pharmacy services, announced the launch of a program to help hospitals and health systems create or optimize home infusion service lines.
“Hospitals are...
F&P’s Homecare group hangs on
May 27, 2022Liz Beaulieu, Editor
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Fisher & Paykel Healthcare reported steady revenue of $469.5 million for its Homecare product group for its financial year ended March 31, 2022, despite downward pressure from supply chain constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic that have reduced new patient diagnoses and set ups.
The company reported a 1% increase in revenue for the Homecare product group for 2022 compared to the prior year and a 3% increase for OSA masks, specifically.
“That’s...
VGM’s Lockard on how to get a ‘huge win’
May 27, 2022Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa – Boone Lockard calls value-based care the “biggest ticket item” that HME providers need to buy into in the next few years.
Value-based care has been a buzzword in health care for years now, but Lockard, the new director of VGM Respiratory, says the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled more care into the home and, subsequently, put more pressure on providers to show they’re helping to keep patients out of hospitals.
“I think if you can show...