In brief: Aeroflow leadership, Hill-Rom settlement, MA transparency 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Aeroflow Health has announced a number of leadership appointments, following its recent rebrand. 

The company has appointed Scott Sonnone, previously CFO, as president; Ryan Bullock, previously COO, as chief strategy officer; and Lauren Bennett, previously vice president of Aeroflow Sleep, as COO.  

“I’m very proud of the growth Aeroflow Health has exhibited and am excited to continue expanding the team and advancing its mission alongside Lauren and Scott, both of whom have contributed so much to our culture and colleagues,” said Bullock. “Aeroflow has consistently established itself in this competitive market as a top DME provider because of our commitment to effecting positive change throughout the health care industry. I look forward to growing our team and reaching new heights, all while ensuring our patients remain the top priority.” 

Aeroflow says the three executives will be integral to driving its success and engagement in new markets, increasing access to necessary medical equipment, and closing the gaps that prohibit Americans from receiving the health care they deserve. They will be responsible for expanding the company’s extensive catalog of solutions, including Aeroflow Breastpumps, Aeroflow Diabetes, Aeroflow Sleep, and Aeroflow Urology, and ensuring the organization delivers educational resources, consultations and personalized services to patients and health care providers. 

Founded in 2001, Aeroflow has partnerships with more than 1,000 different insurance plans. 

Hill-Rom settles false claims allegations 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hill-Rom Holdings, Hill-Rom Company, Hill-Rom Services and Advanced Respiratory have agreed to pay $2.1 million to resolve allegations that the companies violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment to the Medicare, TRICARE, Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicaid programs. 

The settlement, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of South Carolina, resolves allegations that, from Jan. 1, 2011, through Dec. 1, 2019, Hill-Rom’s Direct to Consumer division: 

• Sold used Clinitron, TotalCare, and VersaCare beds but billed federal healthcare programs as if they were new beds; 
• Sold certain hospital beds and pressure support surfaces to beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs under a miscellaneous code, which sometimes resulted in a higher price paid by the government; and 
• Presented claims to the federal government and its contractors that mischaracterized travel time as DME repair time for it to be reimbursable by federal healthcare programs. 

Baxter International purchased Hill-Rom after the allegations involved in the settlement, and the division involved in the alleged fraud is no longer operational.   

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Jeri Harris, a former employee of Hill-Rom. 

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. 

CMS seeks increased transparency for MA plans 

WASHINGTON – CMS has released a request for information (RFI) to solicit feedback from the public on how best to enhance Medicare Advantage data capabilities and increase public transparency. 

The agency says transparency is especially important now that MA plans have grown to more than 50% of Medicare enrollment, and the government is expected to pay these plans more than $7 trillion over the next decade. 

“Americans with Medicare who have managed care plans called Medicare Advantage should not feel like their health care is a black box,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The lack of transparency in Medicare Advantage managed care plans deprives patients of important information that helps them make informed decisions. It deprives researchers and doctors of critical data to evaluate problems and trends in patient care. Transparency is key to the Biden-Harris Administration’s effort to increase competitiveness and ensure that Medicare dollars are spent on first-rate health care.” 

The RFI builds on CMS’s existing efforts to improve transparency for MA plans. The agency, for example, recently finalized requirements for these plans to publicly report data on prior authorization denials and approvals and proposed requirements for them to publicly post annual health equity analysis of prior authorization policies and procedures. 

The MA Data RFI can be accessed on the Federal Register’s webpage at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2024-01832/request-for-information-medicare-advantage-data. Comments are due on May 29, 2024.   

OHD commemorates Utah warehouse 

DUNEDIN, Fla. – One Health Direct is celebrating the eighth anniversary of its fully owned and operated distribution warehouse, American Distributors, in Utah. The warehouse, which focuses solely on DME products for OHD’s DME partners, is strategically located in North Salt Lake, at the crossroads of two major interstates and adjacent to the Utah Inland Port, the company says. "In adherence to our company mission of ‘prioritizing the patient,’ we saw the need to ensure our DME partners' patients receive their products on time," said Alois Rubenbauer, founder and CEO. "Controlling the entire fulfillment process allows us to serve these DME patients better and ensure their supplies are delivered on time." OHD developed and built American Distributors to ensure medical supplies would not be delayed by fulfillment centers competing with other products and seasonality. The warehouse has the capacity to store 90 days of inventory on hand for all SKUs, is equipped with a fully integrated pick-and-pull system, and incorporates vertical racking to maximize storage space. It can accommodate up to 400 pallets and fulfill up to 5,000 orders daily with its efficient layout and ticketing system. In the future, OHD plans to open an additional American Distributors facility in Florida, using its current real estate footprint, to better serve patients located on the East Coast. 

Medtrade draws first-time exhibitor 

LAS VEGAS – Vanna Medical Vans of West Fargo, N.D., has signed up as a first-time exhibitor for  Medtrade, March 26-28 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center in Dallas. The company, which got its start manufacturing camper vans, will have a booth large enough to showcase its mobile medical unit van and will have Ben Gleason, co-founder and CEO, on hand to discuss opportunities with HME providers. “We were approached by medical clinics wanting medical vans, so we built a medical van for a client in Northern Minnesota,” Gleason said. “After that we had more requests. We decided to actually engineer a product as a mobile medical unit (MMU), with the same values of wanting to build the most high-quality, durable, and four-season van. We used what we learned with camper vans to build in durability and quality components, and then designed our product, the MMU,” Gleason continued. “The Vanna MMU is our doctor’s office on wheels, which is the product that brings us to Medtrade. MMU is our branded product name.” Early registration rates for Medtrade are in effect through Feb. 7. Register here. 

F&P reduces guesswork in mask sizing 

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has launched a significant upgrade to its F&P myMask App, offering mask selection and sizing in addition to the existing step-by-step education and support video content. Health care professionals can now “select, size and assist” while with a patient or do so remotely via a text invitation to a patient’s smartphone, reducing the time and guesswork associated with traditional sizing, the company says. “This addition to the F&P myMask App demonstrates our commitment to developing innovative technology to support our OSA mask offering,” said Justin Callahan, president-North America & Europe for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. “The new selection and sizing modules, combined with the step-by-step education and support videos, offer a first-of-its-kind tool for patients and clinicians to help increase confidence and compliance.” The service is now available via invitation in the United States and is expected to launch in Canada, Australasia and Europe in coming months. 

Respironics founder passes away 

PITTSBURGH – Gerald McGinnis, who founded Respironics in 1976 and developed the CPAP and BiPAP machines, passed away on Jan. 25. The bio-engineering pioneer, inventor and entrepreneur passed away peacefully in his sleep after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease just a few months shy of his 90th birthday. According to his obituary: “He began his career at Westinghouse in Research and Development. In 1963, he became manager of the Bioengineering Department, which launched his career in medical product development. In 1969, he joined Allegheny General Hospital as head of the Surgical Research Department, conducting research on artificial hearts. In 1971, he founded his first company, Lanz Medical Products, in his home. His first two devices were a ceramic anesthesia mask and a tracheotomy tube developed using his family’s kitchen stove as a kiln. His overarching goal was always the comfort of the patient. While developing his own company, he served in the Critical Care Department at the Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, participating in programs to offer technological solutions to medical problems. He founded Respironics in 1976 and developed the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines used for supplemental oxygen, infant apnea monitors, asthma treatment and hospital ventilators. As an entrepreneur, Jerry had learned first-hand the need to find the right problem to solve and the emerging awareness of sleep apnea disorder provided him with his ultimate arena. Respironics became an industry leader in sleep apnea therapy and earned the honor of being named the 5th Best Private Company by Forbes Magazine just before it went public on the Nasdaq Exchange in 1987. In 2007, the company he founded was the target of a takeover by Royal Philips Electronics and, ultimately, became Phillips Respironics.” 

Swift Medical completes fundraising 

TORONTO – Swift Medical, a digital health technology company serving wound care providers, has closed on an $8 million round of financing co-led by current investors, the Women in Technology Venture Fund at BDC Capital and funds managed by Virgo Investment Group. Swift Medical, which uses artificial intelligence to improve clinical and economic outcomes in chronic and acute wound care, has earmarked the financing to accelerate its pace of technology enhancements. “Swift has built a market leading wound care tool that improves outcomes for patients and streamlines the busy workflows for providers,” said Brian Litten, CEO of Swift Medical. “We are delighted to have the support of our existing and new investors. This financing enables us to expand our reach and enhance our technology, further revolutionizing wound care and impacting patient care.” Swift Medical plans to deliver significant enhancements to its platform in 2024, including enhanced data security, improved interoperability and enhanced device capabilities. These initiatives aim to elevate the customer experience and drive excellence in health care technology, the company says. "Swift Medical is transforming the standard of wound care," said Dwayne Sansone, managing director, Virgo. "We are excited to continue of partnership with Swift to drive positive change in the digital wound care space." 

Doug Harper honored 

ATLANTA – Doug Harper has been named to the 2024 class of the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame sponsored by Repertoire Magazine, a publication that serves the health care distribution channel. He will be honored during a dinner here on April 18, 2024, with proceeds going to charity. Harper, who has more than 40 years of service to the health care industry, is currently executive vice president and senior advisor to MTMC, an outsourced health care sales organization. Previously, he was president of NDC Homecare, group vice president of North America, for Invacare, and president of Physician Sales & Service (PSS). In addition, Harper serves as chairman of QMed, a medical distribution wholesaler, and is a member of the board of directors of UMF Medical, Dale Medical, Geriatric Medical, National HME and ABM Respiratory.