In brief: House puts home infusion in spotlight, NSM expands Academy 

WASHINGTON – Medicare needs to improve access to home infusion services, said lawmakers during a Sept. 19 House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing. 

During the hearing, “Examining Policies to Improve Seniors’ Access to Innovative Drugs, Medical Devices, and Technology,” home infusion was discussed at least three distinct times, according to the National Home Infusion Association. 

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., brought up two bills—the Expanding Care in the Home Act and the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act—aimed at modernizing Medicare reimbursement and increasing access to home infusion services for Medicare beneficiaries. Dingell shared a personal story of a time she required several weeks of IV antibiotics through a PICC line and was able to self-administer but was shocked that this more cost-effective and sensible method was not covered by Medicare.  

Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and Neal Dunn, R-Fla., later weighed in, as well, with Bucshon sharing his experience as a cardiovascular surgeon, where he could keep people in the hospital for 10 days and give them antibiotics but couldn’t get the IV therapy paid for if the patient went home. 

“The Expanding Care in the Home Act clearly outlines how to close the gaps in the current Medicare benefit for patients who prefer to access infusion services in their homes,” says Connie Sullivan, NHIA president and CEO. “NHIA appreciates and shares Rep. Dingell’s passion for common sense, cost-effective ways to modernize Medicare, such as adding coverage for home infusion.” 

Stakeholders say, while the Expanding Care in the Home Act illustrates a well-defined vision of what a workable home infusion benefit could and should look like, Congress can take immediate steps to permanently fix the existing Part B home infusion benefit by passing the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act. Re-introduced in the 118th Congress (H.R. 4014), the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act would require CMS to pay home infusion providers for professional services each day the drug is administered and remove the requirement that a skilled professional be present in the home for billing to occur. 

NSM expands Momentum Academy 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility has expanded its Momentum Academy series to educate clinical partners, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care providers, about best practices in mobility solutions and complex rehab technology. “The NSM Momentum Academy is an opportunity for our team to ensure our clinical partners are informed about the many types of mobility solutions available to their patients,” said Chuck Bodner, NSM interim CEO. “Empowered with this knowledge, we can better work together to ensure we are providing the personalized mobility solutions our clients need for the best clinical outcomes.” The NSM Momentum Academy has doubled in size from its launch in 2022, with 13 events hosted across the country this year. Each event details best practices in mobility solutions and CRT and offers access to continuing education (CE) credits, networking opportunities and a chance to explore the latest innovations in assistive technology. Upcoming events will be held in locations including Oct. 11: Charlotte, N.C.; Oct. 13: Oklahoma City, Okla.; Oct. 18: Long Island, N.Y.; Oct. 24: Philadelphia; and Nov. 1: Nashville, Tenn. To find out more about the NSM Momentum Academy events and register to attend visit nsm-seating.com/nsm-momentum-academy. 

 VGM’s HR team achieves mental health certification 

WATERLOO, Iowa—VGM Group’s entire human resources team has achieved Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification. MHFA is a program of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Similar to physical first aid and CPR, MHFA helps people assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved. “As a 100% employee-owned company, we know that to take care of the company, we have to take care of each other,” said Sara Laures, VGM’s chief people officer. “We all have struggles at some point in our lives. VGM is a place where people lend a helping hand. And the Mental Health First Aid certification allows us to better care for our fellow employee owners.” VGM employee owners have access to several resources and services that provide help, guidance and treatment for mental health concerns. This includes free, confidential short-term counseling through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); ongoing webinars on financial, physical, and mental wellness; and access to a free health clinic. The company also continually adds programs and benefits that help reduce barriers and stress for its employees. Recent examples include a language learning program that launched in June and an on-site child care center that opens in November. Additionally, in 2021, it launched the VGM Family Fund, an employee-funded program that helps fellow employee owners in their time of need. To date, over $100,000 has been awarded, helping over 200 employee owners.  

ProSomnus raises $10M 

PLEASANTON, Calif. – ProSomnus, which makes a CPAP alternative for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, has completed a $10 million convertible preferred equity offering led by existing investors Spring Mountain Capital and Cetus Capital. The company will use the new capital to optimize its core business operations and support its strategic growth initiatives as it strives to achieve cash flow breakeven. “The completion of this financing fortifies our balance sheet as we continue our mission to make precision oral appliance therapy the preferred first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea,” said Len Liptak, co-Founder and CEO. “As we discussed on our second quarter call, the ProSomnus team is executing at a high level, having reported 48% revenue growth in the first half of 2023 and additional scientific data demonstrating the effectiveness of ProSomnus precision devices. We will leverage this new capital to fine-tune our operating model, as we work to reach cash flow breakeven while still delivering strong top line growth. This financing is a key step forward and I am more confident than ever in our ability to demonstrate the compelling efficacy and adherence of our devices compared to alternative therapies including CPAP and hypoglossal nerve stimulation.” In addition to Liptak, the company's executive chairman and CFO are participating in the financing. 

Sleeplay website recognized 

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Sleeplay, an online CPAP store, has announced that its website has received the Health Care Standard of Excellence WebAward from the Web Marketing Association. The website was recognized for its design and user experience. "We are deeply honored to receive the WebAward from the Web Marketing Association,” said Aaron Fuhrman, CEO. “This recognition underscores our commitment to providing a seamless online experience for our customers, enabling them to access the CPAP products and expertise necessary to enhance their sleep therapy journey." Sleeplay connects patients with CPAP experts and top-quality products, providing “white glove” customer service and simple tools, the company says. The Web Marketing Association’s WebAward Competition has been a benchmark in website development since 1997. As part of the competition, expert judges from across the globe evaluate websites across 86 diverse industries. 

Ossur program meets security standard 

IRVINE, Calif. – Ossur has announced that its Empower by Ossur program has earned certified status by HITRUST for information security. The risk-based, two-year certification means the program has met regulatory compliance and industry defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk. “Organizations and programs like Empower by Ossur are continually under pressure to address current and emerging threats and meet complex compliance, information protection and private requirements,” said Mark Tymchenko, the company’s vice president of bracing and supports for North America. “We are pleased to demonstrate to our customers that the highest standards for data protection and information security by achieving rigorous HITRUST certification.” Empower is a fully automated, fully customizable DMEPOS practice and workflow management solution designed to streamline processes and maximize financial performance. To date, it has helped to process more than 5 million orders and supported more than 87,000 physicians in more than 4,800 billing locations, collecting more than $2 billion in reimbursement. 

Trella Health ramps up claims dataset 

ATLANTA – Trella Health, a provider of market intelligence and integrated customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, is expanding its dataset to provide its home medical equipment and infusion customers with deeper visibility into their markets through advanced metrics and analytics. “We’re acting on what our customers have been telling us,” said Pierre Menard, chief technology officer at Trella Health. “While Trella provides a unique and valuable view into HME and infusion referral patterns, we needed more data for customers to make our insights more actionable for them. I’m happy to say Trella has just made a large investment in acquiring access to one of the largest medical and RX claims data sets available anywhere, and we are incorporating that into our database and product.” With the new dataset, Trella has increased the number of patient lives covered to more than 255 million annually, increased claims volume by 2x and, ultimately, created a more complete patient journey and comprehensive view into the market. Trella says it offers access to 100% Medicare Part A and B fee-for-service data, as well as Medicare Advantage, commercial, Medicaid and drug claims. The company is also deemed both a Qualified Entity by CMS and an Innovator under its Virtual Research Data Center program.