In brief: SC sees sales tax snafu, Aeroflow adds diabetes experts & more 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the sales and use tax exemption for DME is unconstitutional. In Orthofix vs. S.C. Department of Revenue and KCI USA vs. S.C. Department of Revenue, the court found that certain language within the exemption discriminates against interstate commerce, which is prohibited under the dormant Commerce Clause. The state’s Department of Revenue has posted SC Information Letter #24-10 notifying DME providers that they are required to collect and remit sales tax on their sales of DME within the state after June 26, 2024. The letter also addresses the sale of DME to Medicaid and/or Medicare beneficiaries, where the state or U.S. funds under either the Medicaid or Medicare programs are used to partially or fully pay for the DME on behalf of beneficiaries. South Carolina imposes a sales tax of 6% on the gross proceeds of sales. 

• DME has had an exemption from the sales tax since Jan. 1, 2013 

Aeroflow adds diabetes experts to team 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Aeroflow Diabetes has welcomed Dr. Libu Varughese, MD, Dr. Akhil Shenoy, MD, and Sophie Lauver, MS, RD, NBC-HWC, to its team of medical advisors. "The Aeroflow Diabetes team is proud to share expert knowledge with our peers and patients, promoting and educating each other as one wholistic community," says Carson Moore, Director of Aeroflow Diabetes. "Having Dr. Varughese, Dr. Shenoy, and Sophie Lauver onboarded to our rolodex of medical advisors allows us to provide additional unique perspectives to those on a diabetes management journey." More about the new advisors: 

• Varughese, who was named to the 2020 Texas Super Doctors Rising Stars and a Top Endocrinologist in Houston by America's Best Doctors, joins Aeroflow Diabetes to provide his multidisciplinary expertise on all endocrine disorders, including diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, adrenal disease, low testosterone and pituitary disease, among many others. 
• Shenoy brings extensive expertise in treating a wide range of endocrine issues and a special interest in managing the complexities of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes through state-of-the-art diabetes technologies.  
• Lauver specializes in guiding individuals toward adopting a plant-based diet, emphasizing the life-changing benefits, including weight management, improved blood biomarkers, increased energy levels, enhanced mood, reduced cancer risk and better digestion. 

Project Sleep launches YouTube series 

LOS ANGELES – Project Sleep, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of sleep health, equity and disorders, has launched a new education series on its YouTube channel called Sleep Apnea Squad. Hosted by Emma Cooksey, renowned sleep apnea patient advocate and Project Sleep's sleep apnea program manager, the new series will explore various aspects of living with sleep apnea and provide much-needed resources to help patients and families navigate the journey from diagnosis to treatment and from stigma to advocacy. "According to the American Medical Association, about 30 million people in the United States have sleep apnea, but only 6 million are diagnosed," said Julie Flygare, JD, president & CEO of Project Sleep. "This is why Project Sleep is taking action to help address this major public health gap so that more people get the information and support they need and deserve." Each topic of the Sleep Apnea Squad series will be addressed first in a live broadcast, followed by a PDF toolkit, podcast and social media shareables to accommodate various learning styles. The first six live broadcasts in the series will address the following topics: "Could I have sleep apnea?"; sleep apnea testing; sleep apnea treatment options; making CPAP comfortable; fighting the stigma of sleep apnea; and new medications for sleep apnea. 

RESNA seeks mentors 

ARLINGTON, Va. – RESNA seeks mentors for the ATP Guidance Program, a new initiative in partnership with the Assistive Mobility Repair Group (AMRG) and U.S. Rehab. “There is a growing demand in the world for certified ATPs, so RESNA, AMRG and U.S. Rehab have partnered to create the ATP Guidance Program (AGP),” RESNA stated. “This new program will provide the transformational skills and mentorship that rehab technicians need to reach the next level of patient and client care.” The one-year program provides a pathway for rehab technicians certified by AMRG to become certified by RESNA as ATPs. Applicants must be working in seating, positioning and mobility and must have at least two years under their belts as certified ATPs. Mentors will receive training, a calendar of resources and an honorarium of $300 per quarter or $1,200 per year. They will also be eligible to apply for up to six contact hours toward their 20 hours of continuing education commitment as part of their ATP renewal every two years. RESNA will accept applications through Aug. 26. Apply here. 

RESNA announces new officers, board members 

ARLINGTON, Va. – RESNA has named Jim Lenker, PhD, OTR/L, RESNA Fellow, as its president effective Aug 1. Lenker, who is an associate professor within the Department of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y., will serve a two-year term then become immediate past-president. Other new officers are Rita Stanley, RESNA Fellow, currently a private consultant and formerly vice president of government relations for Sunrise Medical, as president-elect; Alisa Brownlee, ATP, CLIPP, CAPS, WSP, a home accessibility and assistive technology specialist at ALS United Mid-Atlantic, as secretary; and Carmen DiGiovine, PhD, ATP/SMS, RET, RESNA Fellow, a clinical professor in the Occupational Therapy Division in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University, as immediate past president. RESNA also named the following individuals to three-year terms as board members: Krista Best, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Services at Laval University in Québec City, Canda; Julie Faieta, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology at the University of Pittsburgh; and Marta Figueiredo, OTR/L, PgDip. EI/SI, NBCT, Prof.Doc.OT, associate professor at Escola Superior Saúde do Alcoitão (Portugal) in the Department of Social Policy and Action. The organization will announce additional board appointments in the coming weeks. 

• Read our Q&A with then incoming President Carmen DiGiovine 

RESNA partners with RehabWeek 

ARLINGTON, Va. – RESNA will hold its annual conference in conjunction with RehabWeek 2025 in Chicago May 12-16. “Join your colleagues at the Sheraton Riverwalk in beautiful downtown Chicago for everything you love about RESNA: educational sessions about the latest in assistive technology, Developer's Showcase, Student Competitions, Scientific Paper Platforms and Posters, and more,” the organization stated. The RESNA Conference will take place May 13-15, but the organization’s members can also take advantage of a pre-conference workshop day on May 12, and a post-conference clinic and laboratory tour day on May 16. RESNA will begin its call for conference session submissions on Aug. 5. RehabWeek is a week-long event that brings together different societies and organizations in the field of rehabilitation technology at the same time and place to foster cross-disciplinary communication and the development of relationships between different players. It includes common keynote lectures and other mutually organized sessions, such as panel discussions and poster sessions. In addition, each society also organizes its own conference-specific sessions. 

• In 2023, RESNA's board of directors decided to take a one-year break from hosting the organization’s annual conference 

Jane Wilkinson-Bunch passes away 

WOODSTOCK, Ga. – Longtime industry consultant Jane Wilkinson-Bunch passed away unexpectedly on July 16 at the age of 60. She had a billing, consulting and speaking company in the DME industry for more than 37 years, working with hundreds of companies across the country. In 2019, she became a partner at VIP, leading the firm’s compliance, billing and consulting services. Wilkinson-Bunch got her start in the industry at her family’s independent pharmacy, Plaza Pharmacy, where she eventually helped operate a number of DME companies. The family held a visitation and memorial service for Wilkinson-Bunch at Lakeside Funeral Home in Woodstock, Ga., on July 21.