In brief: Not guilty verdict, Tandem Diabetes recall, Healthcare Growth Group launch

SAN ANTONIO – Kuba Zarobkiewicz and Anthony Fermin, owners of DME companies, have been found not guilty of health care fraud, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and conspiracy charges by a federal jury. 

Zarobkiewicz and Fermin ran brace businesses through multiple companies beginning in 2020 and then voluntarily shut them down in late 2021.  They began cooperating with a law enforcement investigation in September 2022 and then were charged in December 2022 in the Western District of Texas, even though they were still providing the government with information. 

"We are grateful to the jury for finally ending the government's misguided prosecution of two business owners who tried to do the right thing," said Stephen Lee, counsel for Anthony Fermin.  "They were lied to and manipulated by other people, and we are grateful that the jury rejected the government's attempt to hold them accountable for the crimes and mistakes of those other people.  They were not perfect, but they were innocent." 

A marketer that was also charged and pled guilty testified that he had lied to Zarobkiewicz and Fermin about the marketing activities that he was hired to perform. He admitted telling them that he was engaged in extensive online advertising, when he actually had used an overseas call center that caused improper cold calls to be made to Medicare beneficiaries. 

"This was one of the most aggressive cases involving the Anti-Kickback Statute that I've ever seen," said Jonathan Meltz, counsel for Kuba Zarobkiewicz.  "The government's theory shows the dangers in letting prosecutors use such a broad, vague statute to prosecute cases that should have been handled civilly or administratively, not criminally." 

Tandem offers update on recall 
SAN DIEGO – Tandem Diabetes Care on Aug. 9 emailed notices to customers impacted by a recall of its Apple OS t:connect mobile app. The recall, issued in March, relates to an issue that can cause rapid depletion of a user’s t:slim X2 insulin pump battery, causing the insulin pump to shut down sooner than expected. Tandem plans to release a new version of the app to address the remaining issues and will notify all users by email and app push notifications following its release. Tandem strongly recommends anyone using the Apple iOS t:connect Mobile App with a t:slim X2 insulin pump to do the following: 

• Continue using your Tandem pump and t:connect mobile app as described in the User Guide. 

• Charge the pump for a short time every day (10 to 15 minutes) to avoid frequent full battery discharges. 

• Monitor pump battery levels closely to ensure the pump is at or near full charge before going to sleep to help prevent pump shutdown. 

• Always carry back-up supplies. 

• If a low battery alert is received, Tandem strongly recommends charging the device as soon as possible. 

• There have been 107 confirmed adverse events with this recall, with two hospitalizations and no deaths reported. 

A copy of the customer notification can be found at tandemdiabetes.com/docs/battery-depletionExternal Link Disclaimer. 

Impacted customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall can contact the Tandem Diabetes Care Technical Support Team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at techsupport@tandemdiabetes.com or (877) 801-6901. 

Sleep apnea platform raises funding 

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Ognomy, a telemedicine platform for sleep apnea care, has closed its series seed preferred financing round, now having raised more than $6.8 million since inception and surpassing 11,000 patients served. The financing, led by Impellent Ventures, with backing from a leading strategic partner in the sleep medicine industry, will be used to integrate additional AI-driven automation and information exchange into Ognomy’s platform. “We are thrilled to have the backing of Impellent Ventures and our new strategic partner,” said Dr. Daniel Rifkin, CEO of Ognomy. “This funding will allow us to accelerate our mission of providing accessible, high-quality care for sleep apnea patients across the country. With AI-driven automation and a fully integrated platform, we are poised to revolutionize the way sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated.” Ognomy’s patients can see a clinician within days and embark on a personalized treatment plan shortly thereafter, all from the comfort of home. The company has coverage in 43 states and will have full nationwide coverage by the end of 2024. “Sleep apnea is one of the most chronically underdiagnosed and undertreated issues in America, with dire consequences,” said David Brown, partner at Impellent Ventures. “We are excited to support Ognomy as their platform quickly becomes the preeminent way to ensure long-term patient health. Their commitment to improving sleep health through technology has allowed for rapid growth for the company and makes Ognomy well-positioned to have a significant impact on the lives of those suffering from sleep apnea.” 

HGG launches payer network service 

PHOENIX – The Healthcare Growth Group has launched a new, comprehensive payer network development service specifically for the home care market. By partnering with HGG, clients benefit from expert assistance with payer contracting, payer credentialing, payer relations and other payer revenue development services. “Our expert payer network development offering aligns with HGG's mission to empower healthcare organizations through innovative payer solutions and sustainable growth,” said Richard Kovacik, founder and managing director. “Designed to meet the needs of our industry clients, the value-maximizing potential of HGG’s custom solutions lies in driving growth and achieving business objectives through a combination of well-informed, diligently planned, and skillfully executed strategies.” HGG offers strategic marketing and payer network development services through: 

• Expert strategic and implementation assistance 

• Custom growth solutions 

• Fractional engagements  

• Turnkey operations 

ResMed taps Billing Platform 

DENVER – Billing Platform, an enterprise revenue lifecycle management platform, has announced that ResMed has selected its platform to automate its billing and subscription management, eliminating manual processes and reducing the risk of revenue leakage. ResMed is applying this digital health expertise more broadly through its SaaS business, offering comprehensive software platforms that support healthcare providers in settings outside of the hospital. "As our subscription offerings expand with new products, technologies and solutions, manual processing has become a real operational challenge for scaling our growth," said Yona Capobianco, global process owner, O2C at ResMed. "Our goal is to be able to meet our rapidly growing global billing needs as we continue to expand beyond medical devices into software and services. We chose BillingPlatform because they have the modern, flexible, feature-rich platform to help us achieve that.” ResMed has more than 24 million cloud connectable devices in the market and more than 7.8 million subscribed users. 

WellSky expands partnership with AHS 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – WellSky has announced the expansion of its partnership with Atlantic Health System, a provider of health care in New Jersey. Building on the successful implementation of real-time post-acute performance analytics solution, CarePort Insight, in 2021, Atlantic Health is further strengthening care coordination and patient management across the health care continuum with CarePort Connect. “The addition of CarePort Connect allows Atlantic Health System to gain deeper insight into key patient interactions and improve performance in our value-based contracts,” said Dr. Mark Calderon, medical director of integrated care at Atlantic Health System. “By partnering with WellSky, we've significantly increased our ability to collaborate with post-acute partners, ensuring patients receive high-quality, timely care while reducing readmissions and improving financial outcomes.” With 35 in-network skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), approximately 76,000 patients attributed to Medicare Shared Savings Programs and nearly 520,000 patients attributed to its three accountable care organizations, Atlantic Health says ensuring positive patient outcomes post-discharge is critical to its success as it moves into value-based risk arrangements. 

Tenovi, Trividia partner on diabetes device 

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Tenovi, a provider of remote patient monitoring solutions, has partnered with Trividia Health, a manufacturer of store-brand diabetes products, to offer the True Metrix Air blood glucose meter to telehealth, chronic care, software and RPM services organizations to enable more efficient and affordable monitoring for diabetic patients. “Trividia Health is renowned for accurate and cost-effective solutions for diabetes management," said Nizan Friedman, PhD., founder and CEO of Tenovi. "Current cellular-connected devices lack widespread insurance reimbursement for glucometer supplies, which has to-date stunted growth of diabetic RPM programs. Trividia’s test strips and lancets are covered under most U.S. insurance plans, which eases the financial burden on patients and RPM service companies.” The partnership provides benefits, including reduced device and supply costs and improved accessibility, the companies say. “At Trividia Health, our goal is to deliver digitally enabled, innovative and affordable solutions to people with diabetes,” said Jonathan Chapman, president and CEO of Trividia Health. “The partnership with Tenovi allows people with diabetes to have the ability to easily share and manage their data with health care professionals, which promotes compliance and healthier outcomes.” 

Medline earns diamond manufacturing recognition 

NORTHFIELD, Ill. – Medline has become the first to receive a Diamond-level Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative (HIRC) Resiliency Badge for manufacturing. This award serves as a recognition of the company’s commitment to resiliency within the health care supply chain and takes into account several factors, including demand planning, inventory management, logistics, supply chain visibility, supplier management, risk management & contingency, operational health and market. “This latest manufacturing recognition from HIRC comes on the heels of Medline achieving HIRC’s Diamond-level Resiliency Badge for distribution, highlighting the end-to-end resiliency of our supply chain,” said Josh Wolfe, senior vice president of inventory management for Medline. “Medline’s investments in global manufacturing, sourcing and logistics infrastructure have helped build a supply chain that keeps health care customers prepared through any challenge.” Since 2018, Medline has invested nearly $2.3 billion through its Healthcare Resilience Initiative, a national capital expenditure campaign that has included new distribution centers, manufacturing capabilities and information technology upgrades to support the long-term supply chain needs of healthcare providers. 

Sarah Hanna embarks on new business ventures 

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – August 2024 — Sarah Hanna, a recognized leader with more than 30 years of experience in revenue cycle management and business operations, has announced the conclusion of her role as vice president of consulting services at ACU-Serve. "I'm embarking on a new chapter," said Hanna. "I founded the Hunt Heritage Group in 2015, and I'm thrilled to focus on this venture in my semi-retirement." Hunt Heritage Group (HHG) is dedicated to exploring new innovations, ideas and business opportunities, serving as a launchpad for Hanna's future endeavors. Hanna joined ACU-Serve in August 2022 following the company’s acquisition of ECS North, where she was the founder and CEO. Following her departure from ACU-Serve, Hanna will continue her speaking engagements, addressing a wide range of pertinent topics, as well as offer mentoring programs for women as they chart their career paths.