In brief: AAH secures discount, Aeroflow makes buy

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare members will receive discounted pricing on DMEPOS surety bonds and liability insurance from VGM insurance, per an agreement hammered out at Medtrade last week. Under the new agreement, AAHomecare memebrs will receive a 10% discount on surety bond and liability insurance premiums. VGM also offers other insurance products specifically for HME providers, including property, business auto, workers' compensation and cyber liability. The agreement is timely, the two groups say, as these kinds of bonds will be required to participate in future rounds of competitive bidding. The discounts will be available to AAHomecare members purchasing directly from VGM Insurance, as well as those purchasing through their insurance agent of choice.

Aeroflow picks up hospital's HME biz

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Aeroflow Healthcare has acquired Abbeville Area Medical Center's Home Medical Equipment business out of Greenwood, S.C., to further enhance its position in the upstate of South Carolina. Aeroflow already has offices in Greer, Gastonia and Hendersonville. In addition to lending their experience, resource and support to Abbeville Area Medical Center, Aeroflow has made a donation to the center's foundation for education, research and continued service to the area and its residents.

Drive | DeVilbiss products can now be ordered direct from Brightree

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. - Drive | DeVilbiss has partnered with Brightree as an integrated electronic purchasing partner. As a result, HME providers can now order equipment from Drive | DeVilbiss directly from Brightree's integrated e-purchasing platform. Added benefits: Providers can receive automatic order confirmations and one-touch drop-shipments. “Partnering with Brightree will not only reduce expenses, streamline efficiencies and strengthen the business opportunities of our provider/dealers,” said Harvey Diamond, CEO of Drive | DeVilbiss in a press release. “It will also allow our providers to continually improve care for their patients.” ResMed, McKesson and other manufacturers have hammered out similar partnerships with Brightree.

Digital health app boosts CPAP compliance, according to study

SAN DIEGO - A new retrospective study of 2,343 de-identified patient records shows a connection between CPAP usage, digital health applications and high compliance. Researchers found 83.9% of CPAP users who received standard care and used the ResMed myAir application achieved Medicare adherence in the first 90 days of their treatment. “The high level of CPAP adherence this study shows is evidence that myAir is a best practice for getting patients engaged in their care,” said Raj Sodhi, president of ResMed's Healthcare Informatics Global Business Unit. “It reflects the potential for connected patient engagement tools to spur compliance in a cost- and resource-effective manner, for the benefit of providers, health systems, payers and patients alike.” myAir is a web program that allows patients using ResMed's AirSense 10 or AirCurve 10 devices to wirelessly track their own nightly sleep data and to receive interactive coaching.

Medforce provides power for productivity

SUFFANY, N.Y. - Medforce Technologies has revealed a new brand identity—logo, tag line, product names and website. “Frankly, we've been so focused on investing in our technology, our brand and marketing had been neglected,” said Esther Apter, Medforce's founder and CEO. “Now, our identity accurately reflects our sophistication, our broad suite offerings, and our ability to improve productivity in all areas and departments within a healthcare organization.” Medforce's new product names—Command Center, RemitCenter, Forms Center, ZipMit—describe how the company's system can be used as a hub to connect disparate business applications through a centralized resource for workflow management and data storage. “Our new tagline, 'The Power of Productivity,' really captures it all,” Apter said.