In brief: AdaptHealth CEO, sequestration relief, HCD funding

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Luke McGee has been placed on unpaid leave from his roles as co-CEO and director of AdaptHealth after authorities in Denmark formally charged him with alleged tax fraud. 

The alleged fraud stems from personal activity that occurred between March 2014 and August 2015, and has no connection to AdaptHealth’s business, according to a statement from the company’s board of directors. 

“The board of directors of AdaptHealth takes this matter very seriously and is monitoring the situation closely in consultation with its legal advisors,” the board said in a statement. “The board has full confidence in the company’s management team, led by current Co-CEO Steve Griggs and President Josh Parnes, and in its ability to ensure that AdaptHealth’s business remains strong and to maintain the company’s growth trajectory.” 

A number of law firms are now investigating potential securities fraud claims on behalf of shareholders, alleging that AdaptHealth might have issued misleading information to the investing public. 

The company’s shares plunged 16.7% in morning trading on Tuesday following the news. 

Sequestration relief extended through end of year 

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has passed an amended version of H.R. 1868, extending the pause on the 2% Medicare sequester cuts through the end of 2021.   

As a result, about $158 million more in Medicare payments will be made to HME providers over the rest of the year, on top of the $193 million provided by pausing the cuts from May 2020 through March 2021, according to AAHomecare.  

“Keeping the 2% sequester cuts on hold for the remainder of the year will help offset the new costs and operational challenges associated with serving patients brought on by the pandemic,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president and CEO. “This bill is the latest example of the terrific bi-partisan congressional support for health care providers over the past year, and these measures have been especially welcome by the HME community.” 

CMS on March 31 instructed the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to hold all claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2021, for a short period, in anticipation of possible congressional action to extend the moratorium on the 2% sequestration cuts.  

 HCD gets equity funding 

GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Home Care Delivered has received a majority equity investment from BPOC, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused exclusively on the health care industry.  

“There's a strong outlook for delivering quality health care in the home, and BPOC shares our vision of delivering HCD-quality service on a much larger scale with our customer-first, employee-centric culture," said Gordy Fox, CEO and founder. 

The transaction is effective immediately and financial terms were not disclosed. 

HCD, which launched in 1996, is a provider of disposable medical supplies including wound care, diabetes and incontinence supplies.  

“In our search for the right medical supply provider, it became clear that HCD’s unique blend of people, culture, and technology would be an ideal foundation to address this growing market,” said Troy Phillips, partner at BPOC. “We look forward to partnering with the HCD team and supporting the company’s growth strategies and long-term vision.” 

HSAT trumps PSG, survey finds 

CAESAREA, Israel – Ninety-three percent of health care professionals currently use home sleep apnea testing in their practices, according to the results of a recent survey designed by Itamar Medical. 

Furthermore, HSAT represents more than 50% of the daily test volume in 66% of the practices surveyed. 

“While sleep apnea affects an estimated 54 million to 64 million people in the U.S., roughly 80% of sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated, largely due to the lack of awareness as to the serious nature of the disorder,” said Omar E. Burschtin, associate professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. “The innovation in home-based testing and the shift from PSG to HSAT can improve this situation dramatically.” 

Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 67% of respondents reported PSG usage decreased and about 66% of respondents reported HSAT usage increased, the survey showed. 

Post-pandemic, about 39% and 25% expect HSAT usage to be 50% and 75% or higher, respectively, of test mix, the survey showed. 

“Due to COVID-19 infection risks, sleep labs were forced to close, hindering access to in-lab testing,” said Gilad Glick, CEO of Itamar Medical. “As a result, sleep clinicians relied on home-based testing solutions, which played a vital role in enabling them to continue to diagnose patients and empower the commencement of their patients’ care pathway.”  

In all, 213 sleep professionals, including physicians, technicians, respiratory therapists, and sleep clinic directors and managers, participated in the survey. 

Legacy Medical Sales passes 1 million mark 

YORK, Pa. – Legacy Medical Sales this week said they have surpassed 1 million mask sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company offers a full line of personal protective and durable medical equipment. "When we initially visualized Legacy, we were planning to focus on durable medical equipment,” said Jason Vogelsong. “Then COVID happened, and we realized we could really help.” Legacy plans to continue offering PPE, while also expanding its distribution of DME. 

onehome partners with Devoted Health to expand care 

MIRAMAR, Fla. – onehome, a leader in post-acute home-based care, is partnering with Devoted Health, a Medicare Advantage company, to expand care to Devoted Health's members in Arizona, Ohio and San Antonio, Texas. The partnership brings enhanced care into members' homes, enabling them to receive health care, including infusion services, wound therapy and durable medical equipment, at home. "Our members' health and quality of life depend on access to safe and necessary care, and, increasingly, we are looking to the home as the best environment for healing," said Ed Park, co-founder and CEO, Devoted Health. "We've partnered with onehome to deliver their high level of care, as we expand into Arizona, Ohio and Texas, confident that the unique model they've built and their proven track record of moving post-acute care into the home couldn't be of greater value at this time for serving the needs of our new members.” 

Short takes: Medtronic, NCART 

Medtronic has launched the Medtronic Extended infusion set, the first insulin infusion set that can be worn for up to seven days, up from the recommended three days. The set is compatible with all MiniMed 600 and 700 series insulin pumps. The set is now commercially available in select European countries, starting with Finland and Belgium…NCART and Access2CRT have revamped their websites. The NCART website remains a CRT industry resource center with the latest news and tools for providers and manufacturers, and information on important policy and legislative action impacting CRT. The Access2CRT website is an advocacy "hub" that offers legislator look-up, tools to share the CRT story, the Protect My Mobility advocacy action center, and other helpful links for all individuals who want to get more involved in CRT advocacy. 

US Med-Equip earns honor 

AUSTIN, Texas - US Med-Equip, a provider of DME, including infusion pumps, patient monitors and ventilators, has been recognized with the Lee Brandon Walker Award. The award is presented by Owner Resource Group (ORG), an Austin-based private investment firm, and is named after one of ORG's founding members who died in 2014 from an undiagnosed heart condition while helping save the life of an animal in the wilderness. "It is a tremendous honor to earn this award established in honor of a man whose life and memory are an inspiration for so many," said Greg Salario, co-founder and chief development officer at US Med-Equip. "Each USME team member's urgent and unyielding commitment to our shared purpose — to support the important work health care providers do to help patients heal — is what drives us every day." 

WellSky upgrades CareInsights solution 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – WellSky has made enhancements to its CareInsights solution suite, known as CareInsights Guidance. CareInsights Guidance is available as part of the WellSky CareInsights for Home Health solution, which is powered by algorithms based on historical data from more than 7 million home health patient episodes. It now delivers enhanced utilization management for improved care planning, in addition to predictive insights on real-time patient hospitalization risk, social determinants of health, care setting suitability, and Low Utilization Payment Adjustment (LUPA) risk. “Through collaboration with our home health clients, we recognized that case managers and other clinical leaders have to rely on too many different pieces of documentation to determine the appropriate visit frequency,” said Wes Little, chief analytics officer. “Our Guidance solution reduces that burden and takes some of the guesswork out of care planning. Home health providers can now automatically receive customized frequency guidelines in one simple view.” 

Survey: Pandemic drives increase in sleeplessness 

DARIEN, Ill. - More than half of Americans (56%) have reported an increase in problems sleeping since the start of the pandemic, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Those aged 35-44 had the highest rate of COVID-somnia sleep disturbances at 70%. Half of survey respondents reported using sleep aids, such as medication, over-the-counter supplements or other substances to help them fall asleep, with 68% of those using sleep aids saying they’ve been using them more frequently during the pandemic. “Stress, anxiety and disruptions to our routines can all have a negative impact on our sleep,” said Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine physician in Fort Meyers, Fla., and a member of the AASM board of directors. “Unfortunately, sometimes the harder we try to sleep, the more difficult it is to achieve sufficient, healthy sleep.” 

Numotion adds to ‘family’ 

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Numotion has added three employees – two of them ATPs – in the southern Missouri area. The new staff have a combined 28 years of experience in the complex rehab technology industry, the company says. “We are proud to welcome this group of experienced CRT professionals to the Numotion family,” said James Hartman, executive vice president, West Division. “These additions to the team will allow us to serve more customers in southern Missouri and continue our momentum of growth in this region and beyond.” These additions are part of Numotion’s larger efforts to grow its presence in key markets. The company’s recent acquisitions include Monroe Wheelchair in New York, Northland Rehab Supply in South Dakota, hte complex rehab business of BritKare in Texas, and Wheeler’s Medical Supply in Florida. Numotion has also opened several new locations in Buffalo, N.Y., Fargo, N.D., and Manchester, N.H. 

MedSupply names new exec, launches complex rehab program 

FRESNO, Calif. – MedSupply, a distributor of medical equipment and supplies that specializes in negative pressure wound therapy, low-air loss mattresses, advanced wound care supplies and complex rehab mobility, has promoted Linda Psaras to vice president of sales and marketing, post-acute. Previously, Psaras joined MedSupply as an account executive before quickly advancing to director of business development. In her new role, she is responsible for guiding the company’s mission and direction, while organizing and implementing new processes to streamline operations. MedSupply has also launched MedSupply Mobility Solutions, a complex rehab program for skilled-nursing facilities to help with in-patient mobility, seating and positioning needs and questions. “The addition of Vern Nielsen, ATP, director of mobility and complex rehab, will bolster MedSupply’s efforts to offer our facilities products and solutions to issues related to skin integrity, seating, positioning and access to mobility devices,” Psaras said. “Wounds and skin integrity is what we are all about.” 

State news: Texas, Ohio 

AAHomecare has worked with TexMEP and other stakeholders to get three bills introduced in the state legislature on rate stability and patient access to quality HME. HB 3679 would require Medicaid managed care organizations to reimburse providers at no less than 95% of the state’s published Medicaid DME fee schedule. HB 3678 would update the insurance code to support Medicaid continuity of care and patient choice language, and ensure adequate reimbursement. HB 3677 would amend an existing statute to include DME and complex rehab providers in the definition of “specialty providers” whose patients are covered by patient choice and continuity of care provisions. AAHomecare encourages providers and manufacturers in Texas to support the bills by sending emails to their state legislators through the association’s Action Center…The Ohio Department of Medicaid has selected six health care organizations to lead managed care services for more than 3 million members and thousands of providers, OAMES reports. The six MCOs selected for the program are: UnitedHealthCare Community Plan of Ohio, Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and CareSource Ohio. Members will continue to receive services with their current managed care plans until the transition in early 2022. They will have the opportunity to select a new plan during the open enrollment period this summer. 

CMS begins recoupments 

WASHINGTON – CMS has informed all Medicare providers who requested and received COVID-19 accelerated and advance payments during the public health emergency that it will begin recovering those payments as early as March 30. 

The exact timing depends on the one-year anniversary of when a provider received their first payment. 

“Please be sure your billing staff are aware that the recovery has begun, or will begin soon, but no sooner than one year from the date CMS issued the payments,” according to an MLN Matters article. 

Other terms of the repayment: CMS will make recoveries from Medicare payments that are due to providers at a rate of 25% for 11 months; it will then make recoveries from Medicare payments that are due to providers at a rate of 50% for six months; then it will instruct the MAC to issue a demand letter for full repayment of any remaining balance. 

If CMS doesn’t receive the balance within 30 days, it will apply 4% interest from the date of the letter.    

OSA should be considered important factor in risk of COVID-19, analysis finds 

YARMOUTH, Maine – Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should be given extra care and monitoring to minimize exposure to COVID-19, according to an analysis published in Sleep Medicine. Physicians can use telemedicine-based practice to provide care and evaluations for OSA patients to minimize their visits to hospitals. Physicians and caregivers should also be engaged in close monitoring of OSA patients with suspected COVID-19 for early diagnosis and treatment to avoid severe infections. Additionally, physicians must consider the diagnosis of OSA in COVID-19 patients where a simple questionnaire can be used without the need for a polysomnography study. The STOP-Bang questionnaire, which consists of four subjective (STOP: Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, and high blood Pressure) and four demographics items (BANG: BMI, Age, Neck circumference, Gender), provides good results for screening patients with suspected OSA and could identify patients at risk for adverse outcomes. Finally, OSA should be considered as an important factor in future risk stratification models for COVID-19. 

Medtrade West debuts Expo preview 

PHOENIX – Medtrade West will feature “Welcome to Phoenix Night” on July 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., giving attendees a chance to preview the Expo floor. Multiple bars will be set up for the event, including one sponsored by AAHomecare. “I envision attendees getting a glass of beer or wine and taking a preliminary lap around the floor,” said York Schwab, associate show director, Medtrade. “The Preview Night is a great time to prioritize, chat with exhibitors and decide which exhibitors are worth a return trip to learn more and possibly develop a lasting relationship.” Attendees will also have the opportunity to pick up a “passport” during the event and get it stamped at participating booths. All passports will be entered into a prize drawing.  

Joerns, Medela team up 

CHARLOTTE and MCHENRY, Ill. – Joerns Healthcare has announced it will distribute Medela’s negative pressure wound therapy product line on a national basis to the skilled nursing and long-term acute care hospital setting. Through the agreement, Joerns will expand its wound care portfolio to include the full Medela line of negative pressure wound therapy products, including the Invia Liberty and Invia Motion 60 NPWT Systems. “Joerns is excited to partner with Medela to offer this valued clinical choice to our customers,” said Doug Ferguson, chief strategy officer of Joerns Healthcare. “The addition of Medela NPWT to our wound management portfolio enables Joerns to provide an unparalleled offering of clinical choice complemented by service excellence.” The Invia line can be used in both the acute care and home care settings, ensuring continuity of care. Joerns will leverage Medela’s NPWT University and mobile app with education tools needed to set up and operate the Invia NPWT systems, including instructions, quick cards and training videos.