In brief: Recalled devices, vaccine mandates, Medicaid managed care

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands – Philips advised HME providers in a Dec. 15 letter to return to the company any recalled DreamStation 1 devices that patients return to them. 

As part of litigation stemming from Philips’ voluntary recall of the devices, a Nov. 10 court order “identifies the various types of evidence that must be preserved and requires parties and nonparties, including (HME providers), to preserve such evidence” and a Nov. 19 court order “permits individuals, including (HME providers), to return devices to Philips Respironics for repair or replacement.” 

Philips says its remediation process is in in-line with requirements of these orders. 

SD cards, humidifiers and accessories, like masks and tubing, are not part of the recall and should not be returned, the company says.

Court narrows scope of injunction 

WASHINGTON – The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has narrowed the scope of a recent nationwide injunction blocking the implementation of a CMS interim final rule requiring a range of health care facilities to have a fully vaccinated staff by Jan. 4, AAHomecare reports. The court leaves the injunction in place in the 14 states covered in the pending lawsuit. With another suspension covering 10 other states in place per a similar ruling by a Missouri district judge, the mandate is now reinstated in 26 states, the association says. They are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. DMEPOS providers are not directly impacted by the mandate, but if they are providing services in covered health care facilities, they would be required to have vaccinated employees, AAHomecare notes.

OSHA restarts vaccine, testing requirement 

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has restarted implementation and enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for companies with 100 or more employees, AAHomecare reports. This follows a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Dec. 17 lifting the block on the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). OSHA has also extended the deadline to require covered employees to receive the first dose of the vaccine to Jan. 10, 2022, and to implement the masking and testing requirement for non-vaccinated employees to Feb. 9.

Somnoware receives security clearance 

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Somnoware has received Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Agency Authorization through a Department of Veterans Affairs sponsorship. The designation authorizes Somnoware to work with federal organizations and paves the way for the company to complete the rollout of its platform to VA Medical Centers nationwide. “Today, Somnoware has made federal security requirements the de facto standard available to current and future customers,” said Subath Kamalasan, CEO of Somnoware. “There is no other respiratory care management cloud platform on the market today that meets these security standards.” By receiving FedRAMP authorization, Somnoware meets the security needs of federal agencies and makes these same standards available to the broad spectrum of health care organizations from independent testing facilities to enterprise hospital systems. For physicians and researchers in university hospital systems, this means patient data for clinical decision-making is hosted in a secure environment that meets even the most stringent IT requirements. 

State news: Medicaid managed care bill in the works in Indiana 

INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes State Association is asking stakeholders to reach out to members of the state House of Representatives to support a bill that’s in the works that would addresses issues with Medicaid managed care, VGM reports. Key components of the proposed bill include due process, access, fairness, equity and representation for the HME community on the Indiana Medicaid Advisory Committee, according to a bulletin. “HME providers have been faced with many managed care issues over the past several years and efforts to work with the Medicaid agency and managed care plans directly have fallen short of achieving meaningful results,” the bulletin states. “As such, we’re working on legislation to introduce after the first of the year to bring solutions and we need your help to begin laying the groundwork for future support in the Indiana House of Representatives.” Stakeholders can contact their members here. The association, which is also working with AAHomecare on the proposed bill, is asking stakeholders to share an issue brief that provides background material and key issues addressed by the bill. 

WellSky Foundation makes three $50K donations 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The WellSky Foundation has gifted $50,000 to Northland Shepherd Center to help the nonprofit launch a Seniors Community Cupboard Pantry to help older adults experiencing food insecurity. “At the WellSky Foundation, it is our mission to build thriving communities by addressing social barriers to lasting health and wellness, and it’s clear Northland Shepherd’s Center is aligned with our goal,” shared Andrea Morgan, executive director of the WellSky Foundation. “Their efforts to keep our senior community members independent, active, and in their homes is inspiring to see, especially during the holiday season. We are thrilled to support Northland Shepherd’s Center’s critical work.” In October, the foundation made two donations of $50,000 each to Mercy Medical Angels and Phoenix Family to continue their efforts to address acute and long-term needs within the communities they serve. In the two years since its inception, the foundation has provided grants to 18 organizations. 

ResMed named top-run company 

SAN DIEGO – ResMed has been named to this year’s Wall Street Journal Management Top 250 as ranked by the Drucker Institute. ResMed came in at 172. Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, IBM and Intel were listed as the top five companies. The Drucker Institute, a unit of Claremont Graduate University, developed the ranking based on the principles of its founder, Peter F. Drucker, using data from a wide range of providers. It bases the rankings on customer satisfaction, employee engagement and development, innovation, social responsibility and financial strength. 

CarepathRx partners with UChicago 

MERCER ISLAND, Wash. – CarepathRx has announced a new partnership with University of Chicago Medicine to provide comprehensive home and specialty infusion services to the academic health system’s growing patient population. The partnership will allow UChicago Medicine to extend its clinical reach into the home and ambulatory setting. “This partnership allows UChicago Medicine to deliver our world-renown quality of care and clinical services to patients across the healthcare continuum—whether inpatient or outpatient," said Kevin Colgan, vice president, Chief Pharmacy Officer, at UChicago Medicine. "Access to infusion therapy not only provides invaluable continuity of care, but also creates a cost-effective alternative to receiving treatment in a hospital or clinical setting for our patients." CarepathRx serves more than 15 health systems and 600 hospitals, with more than 1,500 employees nationwide.