In brief: Stakeholders push SWO, ResMed buys into HST, Etac adds Ki Mobility

WASHINGTON – AAHomecare, VGM & Associates, the Council for Quality Respiratory Care and 11 other organizations are asking CMS to eliminate the medical record review for home oxygen therapy and to accept the clinician prescription/standard written order as the required documentation for establishing medical necessity. 

These changes would protect against fraud and abuse, reduce the burden on clinicians and suppliers, and protect access for Medicare beneficiaries, the groups say in an Oct. 4 a letter sent to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. 

“The goal of the medical necessity review is to protect the federal government and beneficiaries from fraud,” the letter states. “Yet, this well-intentioned program has morphed into an assessment of clinician charting that does not identify fraud or abuse. Without clear, objective standards for review, it will become difficult for suppliers to continue filling clinician prescriptions for beneficiaries. It is time to fix this broken system and make sure that beneficiaries maintain access to these important home oxygen therapies.” 

The groups are making the request in connection with CMS’s recent decision to drop the CMN requirement for home oxygen, as well as to expand access to the therapy for acute conditions. 

The groups say they also support an alternate approach to require clinicians to complete the existing supplemental home oxygen templates, which, when submitted with a prescription, would constitute the sole documentation to establish medical need and be sufficient for medical necessity review. 

Currently, under the public health emergency, CMS has not required clinician medical record notes to document medical necessity. Instead, medical necessity documentation has been based on the clinician’s prescription and the SWO.  

ResMed buys HST company 

SAN DIEGO – ResMed has bought Ectosense, which makes the NightOwl home sleep test. 

The NightOwl, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is currently sold in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, India and parts of Europe. ResMed has distributed the NightOwl, under the brand ResMed onesleeptest, in Australia, New Zealand and India since 2020, and has been a minority investor in Ectosense since July 2020. 

"Sleep labs and home tests each have critical roles to play in expanding our reach and identifying the 936 million people worldwide who have sleep apnea," said Jim Hollingshead, ResMed president of sleep and respiratory care. "We believe Ectosense's digital and easy-to-use solutions in the hands of both sleep lab technicians and consumers worldwide can help significantly increase diagnoses, as well as general awareness of this highly prevalent, 100% treatable disease. For millions of people, their best night's sleep must start with a diagnosis." 

Terms of the transaction, which will not be material to ResMed’s consolidated financial results, were not disclosed. 

Ecotosense will operate within ResMed’s sleep and respiratory care business. 

"ResMed has the global reach and passionate ambition to help increase patient access to Ectosense's proven diagnostic solution and a path to better sleep and overall health," said Frederik Massie, CTO and co-founder of Ectosense. "It will take the combined efforts of sleep labs and connected home solutions like NightOwl to identify a significant portion of the hundreds of millions of people suffering from this disease that don't even know it." 

Sunrise Medical opens new facility in Nashville 

FRESNO, Calif. – Sunrise Medical is now producing Magic Mobility products out of its newly opened Nashville, Tenn.-based facility. 

The company is selling and supporting the products through its associates across the North American market. 

“Magic Mobility power wheelchairs are synonymous with durability, independence and active mobility,” says Larry Jackson, president of Sunrise Medical North America. “We can’t be more excited to sell, build and support these amazing products. With the opening of our new manufacturing facility in Nashville, we are further reinforcing our commitment to offering the very best delivery times, highest quality and outstanding support for Magic Mobility products. We’ve been working hard with Innovation in Motion and Magic Mobility to ensure a successful transition for power chair drivers who are eagerly awaiting their product.” 

Magic Mobility products that will be immediately produced in Nashville include the Magic Mobility Extreme X8, Magic Mobility Frontier V6 and Magic Mobility Frontier V4. 

The new facility will also distribute other key products throughout North America, including the entire Leckey pediatric offering and, starting early next year, the QUICKIE line of power wheelchairs. 

Sunrise Medical also has manufacturing facilities in Fresno, Calif., and Tijuana, Mexico. 

ACU-Serve buys Pro-Med 

AKRON, Ohio – ACU-Serve has acquired Boca Raton, Fla.-based Professional Medical Administrators in a move the company says better positions it to “capture the highest collection rates at the lowest cost.” 

The acquisition adds 60 U.S.-based employees, bringing ACU-Serve’s total roster to 200 employees. 

“In a world where HME providers are struggling with staffing, our acquiring Pro-Med and being able to utilize their highly trained HME resources is a tremendous opportunity,” said Jim Knight, CEO of ACU-Serve. “Our strategy is to use best-in-class technology solutions and processes, coupled with well-trained U.S. staff, to capture the highest collection rates in the industry at the lowest cost. That is the value proposition our clients want and deserve, and we can now deliver that to anyone in the United States."  

Pro-Med was founded in 1996 by Sylvia Toscano, who will join ACU-Serve as vice president of client services. 

“Based on the ever changing and increasingly complex industry needs and payer challenges, we repeatedly found that we needed enhanced technology and a turn-key service offering for our clientele, which is exactly what we found in ACU-Serve,” she said. “We complement each other in so many extraordinary ways, which will only continue to drive quality, productivity, collections and client success. We are very excited to bring these best-in-class solutions to our clients.” 

Etac snaps up Ki Mobility 

Company plans to establish dedicated mobility organization 

TORRANCE, Calif. – Etac has acquired Ki Mobility, positioning itself to becoming a global leader in complex rehab technology, the company says. 

Etac will establish a dedicated mobility organization for sales and customer service for Ki Mobility, Convaid, R82 and Star products that will be led by Doug Munsey. 

“Our ambition is to make it easy to interact and do business with our mew mobility organization and we will continue to strive to be your preferred partner,” the company said in an announcement. “For now, it is business as usual so please continue to place orders, interact with sales personnel and communicate with our organization in the same manner as you always have.” 

Ki Mobility recently acquired Adaptive Engineering Lab (AEL), a manufacturer of headrests, lateral supports, belts, abductors and adductors, arm and foot supports, and seats and backs.  

Option Care acquires Infinity Infusion Nursing 

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. – Option Care Health has acquired Infinity Infusion Nursing for $50 million in cash. 

Infinity Infusion, founded in 2017, has a network of more than 1,300 nurses across 49 states. 

“I am personally very excited to welcome the Infinity team to our existing clinical organization of more than 2,900 nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists and dieticians,” said John Rademacher, Option Care Health CEO. “The clinical capabilities of these two organizations, combined with the strength of Option Care Health’s technology platform, will be unsurpassed in the alternate site infusion industry and enables us to continue innovating and raising the standards of patient care.” 

The acquisition builds on the market-leading platforms for both Option Care Health and Infinity Infusion and expands access to clinical resources across the United States, establishing a more comprehensive clinical platform. 

Infinity Infusion has been a key partner of Option Care Health for nursing services across the country. 

“We see tremendous opportunity to further expand our clinical nursing platform and elevate patient care given the complementary clinical expertise, technology platform and patient-centered focus of Option Care Health,” said Amy Wright, R.N., CEO and founder of Infinity Infusion. 

Wright and Rebekah Kroner will continue to lead the company. 

CRT sign-on letter closes with 77 signatures 

WASHINGTON – A congressional sign-on letter asking CMS to act on power seat elevation and power standing systems garnered 77 signatures, including 14 members of the House committees that oversee the Medicare program. The letter, which was spearheaded by Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Don Young, R-Alaska, and which has strong bipartisan support (49 Democrats and 28 Republicans), got a boost during the Virtual CRT Congressional Fly-in on Sept. 21 hosted by NCART and NRRTS. “The work to secure Medicare coverage will continue in collaboration with the ITEM Coalition and other CRT stakeholders,” said Don Clayback, executive director of NCART. “This strong show of congressional support is a very positive step in improving access to these important technologies for people with disabilities.” Stakeholders are waiting for CMS to seek public comments on a request to reconsider the national coverage determination for mobility assistive equipment to include power seat elevation and power standing systems. The ITEM Coalition submitted the request to reconsider the NCD in September 2020.  

Invacare sponsors ESPY winner 

ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare is sponsoring Rob Mendez, the inspirational high school football coach and 2019 ESPY winner of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Mendez, who was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, which left him without arms or legs, uses the Invacare Storm Series Torque power wheelchair equipped with Adaptive Switch Labs (ASL) technology. “We are proud to have Coach Rob Mendez represent Invacare,” said Matt Monaghan, chairman, president and CEO of Invacare. “His courage, perseverance, and positive attitude drive us every day in Making Life’s Experiences Possible for all of our end users.” 

Provider marks 40 years in DME 

VICKSBURG, Miss. – Provider David Hosemann was recently recognized by his staff at Hometown Medical for 40 years of service in the durable medical equipment industry. “In 1981, nobody had a clue about DME,” he told a local newspaper. “I could see that if we honed our skills and developed a service culture, the rest would take care of itself as the baby boomers like me arrived.” Hometown Medical carries a variety of HME, including power wheelchairs and scooters, sleep and respiratory therapy, aids to daily living and home medical supplies. Hosemann and his wife launched the company in 2002. 

Sanford Health streamlines 

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. - Sanford Health Healthcare Accessories and Sanford Health Home Medical Equipment have merged together to become Sanford Health Equip and the business has relocated to the Sanford Thief River Falls southeast campus, according to local news reports. Sanford Health Equip offers a wide array of products, including bath aids, beds, breast pumps and supplies, CPAP, aids to daily living, home respiratory, lift chairs and scooters. 

Kubat Pharmacy adds to Miller’s offerings 

OMAHA, Neb. – Kubat Pharmacy has acquired Fremont, Neb.-based Miller Pharmacy Specialties. Miller Pharmacy Specialties, a Kubat HealthCare Partner, will continue to offer a full-service pharmacy from its Fremont location serving long-term care residents, and will now have the additional service offerings of respiratory, customized medication compounding, home infusion services and home medical equipment. "We are excited to join forces with Miller Pharmacy Specialties," said Jim Rich, CEO of Kubat Healthcare, "With our established Kubat Healthcare locations serving Fremont and surrounding communities for the last 13 years, the addition of Miller Pharmacy Specialties will allow us to continue and expand health care service offerings within long-term care facilities.  It's our mission to improve the well-being of our patients by providing exceptional access to care delivered with compassionate service." Kubat in August acquired Louisville, Neb.-based Blake’s Pharmacy. 

Quipt expands in Mississippi 

CINCINNATI – Quipt Home Medical has acquired a business with operations in Mississippi reporting unaudited trailing 12-month annual revenues of approximately $2.7 million for about $1.95 million in cash. The business has more than 4,000 active patients, 590 referring physicians and two locations, bringing Quipt to 150,000 current active patients, 19,000 referring physicians and 62 locations across 15 states. “We continue to focus on accretive acquisition candidates that fit our stringent acquisition criteria to build scale across the United States,” said Greg, Crawford, chairman and CEO. “Our proven integration strategy allows us to make tuck-in acquisitions like this to fill in attractive geographies, obtain important insurance contracts, add to our active patient base and build out our referring physician network.” Quipt also announced it has tapped David Bachelder to serve as executive vice president of operations. 

Apria names chief accounting officer 

INDIANAPOLIS – Apria has named Christopher G. Lee to the newly created position of chief accounting officer. Lee has 18 years of accounting and financial leadership experience, most recently as senior vice president of accounting and finance at Apria. Prior to joining Apria in 2009, Lee was with Deloitte & Touche. “As a longtime Apria employee, Chris Lee is woven into the fabric of the company both professionally and personally, and we are incredibly grateful for his contributions over the years,” said Debra Morris, CFO. “Chris holds a wealth of expertise on the accounting and financial side of our business, not to mention the experience he has accrued with Apria over the course of more than a decade.” 

VGM releases sales playbook 

WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM & Associates has released its latest playbook, “VGM Playbook: Optimizing Sales and Marketing in the DMEPOS Space.” The new playbook focuses on sales and marketing best practices, guidance and more. “Our previous playbooks touched on how best to serve our customers in the DMEPOS space, as well las growing your DMEPOS business,” said Clint Geffert, president of VGM & Associates. “However, a key tactic of developing and growing your business and serving your customers effectively is to understand how to optimize sales and marketing strategies in the DMEPOS space. This latest playbook outlines how embracing sales and marketing best practices can lead to a stronger business.” Topics include the importance of branding, referral source marketing, successful prospecting, the relationship between sales and marketing to maximize revenue, successful marketing strategies for a better ROI, and analytics that can guide strategic decision making and enhanced outcomes. VGM members can download the playbook at https://www.vgm.com/playbook/. 

NSM enters Alberta market 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility has acquired an independently owned and operated HME provider in Red Deer, Alberta, representing its first location in the province. The provider specializes in complex rehab, mobility solutions and accessibility services. “This acquisition deepens our commitment to our Canadian customers and broadens our reach, allowing us to support even more individuals in their journey to achieve greater independence,” said Bill Mixon, NSM CEO. Ian Findlater, who started the company in 2017, will transition to NSM team as a rehab manager. To date, NSM operates 23 locations in Canada, serving clients in six provinces. 

RRI warns of safety hazard 

ST. LOUIS – Responsive Respiratory, Inc. (RRI) has sent out an urgent safety alert regarding Tekno Valve and Sherwood branded oxygen cylinder valves. The valves are now manufactured with a rounded edge instead of the radius/chamfered edge that has historically been the industry standard, affecting the proper seating and positive seal when used with the vast majority of oxygen regulators in the U.S. market, the company says. “The lack of a positive, gas-tight seal is a serious safety hazard, as it may result in a leak due to the partial sealing on the regulator washers,” RRI states. Affected providers should: conduct an inventory audit to identify and quarantine all cylinders with affected valves; immediately discontinue use and remove the cylinders from service; post a notice in all cylinder storage and filling areas; and contact their cylinder supplier for resolution. 

One Drop joins Innovators’ Network 

NEW YORK – One Drop has joined the Innovators’ Network at the American Heart Association Center for Health Technology & Innovation. The center is focused on building and fostering health technology relationships to develop innovative and scalable solutions across the health continuum. “The center aims to advance the rapid, efficient and effective development of health care technology,” said Eric Peterson, MD, MPH, vice provost and senior associate dean for clinical research at the University of Texas Southwestern and volunteer chair of the Health Tech Advisory Group for the center. “It’s inspiring to see One Drop leveraging this consortium to broaden and deepen their engagement in this arena.” The Innovators’ Network is a consortium that connects entrepreneurs, providers, researchers and payers. Its members also have access to the association’s digital guidelines, recommendations and best-in-class science as they develop digital health care technologies. Members collaborate with the center in different ways, including building models for clinical outcome studies, lowering the significant cost of developing those studies independently; helping connect the science to technology; and providing evidence that a digital platform improves health care outcomes—a key concern for providers and payers. " Instead of chasing after illness, we need to get ahead of it by preventing health complications in the first place," said Jeff Dachis, CEO and founder of One Drop. "We are excited to join the Innovators' Network, as it will provide opportunities to connect with other trailblazers building novel health solutions. By fostering open dialogue and meaningful collaboration, we look to accelerate the creation of equitable and accessible precision health solutions from One Drop that have the potential to help millions of people make better decisions and reach their full potential." 

ConvaTec launches Healthy Bonds Campaign  

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – ConvaTec has launched a month-long effort to celebrate the ostomy community and to mark World Ostomy Day on Oct. 2. As part of its Healthy Bonds Campaign during the month of October, ConvaTec is encouraging ostomates to share their stories of healthy body images and medical, professional and personal relationships on Instagram using the hashtag #myhealthybonds. The campaign will also include advertising and influencer amplification to tell the inspiring stories of the Healthy Bonds that support the ostomy community. "Healthy Bonds are a crucial part of the healing process for ostomy patients post-surgery,” said Mani Gopal, president and COO at ConvaTec. “These bonds represent both the physical and emotional connections ostomates have with their ostomy, their family and friends, and the community around them. Our Healthy Bonds campaign encourages ostomates to showcase how they're embracing life with an ostomy through an array of inspiring stories that celebrates the resiliency of our community." ConvaTec also hosted a virtual Global Patient Summit on Oct. 1 to empower ostomates around the world who might need additional resources as COVID-19 has limited their opportunities to receive home care and peer-to-peer support and mentoring. Sessions focused on the topics "This is My Life Now" and "Healthy Bonds" to help ostomates recognize they are part of a strong, supportive community and not going through their experiences alone. The United Ostomies Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) estimates approximately 100,000 temporary and permanent ostomy surgeries occur each year, with a total of 725,000 to 1 million people living with ostomies in the United States.  

NSM sponsors accessible platforms at concert 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility served as the official ADA sponsor of the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, which drew thousands of festival goers to The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tenn., on Sept. 25-26. NSM’s sponsorship, its second as official ADA sponsor of the festival, funded accessible viewing platforms throughout the venue, ensuring that attendees with disabilities had the opportunity to view and enjoy the two-day experience. “We were proud to serve as the official ADA sponsor of the Pilgrimage Festival again this year,” said Bill Mixon, NSM CEO. “Our continued partnership represents the importance of making incredible events like this welcoming and accessible to all.” This year’s festival drew 25,000 attendees with performances from Maren Morris, The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Dave Matthews Band and more than 50 additional acts appearing on five stages. NSM’s sponsorship included event signage, as well as exposure on the festival’s website, app and social channels.  

3B taps Pontzius as president 

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – 3B Medical has appointed Tom Pontzius, formerly of Philips, as president effective immediately. His experience in sales, marketing, operations, manufacturing and distribution will be critical as 3B Medical continues to grow and innovate in health care, says Alex Lucio, founder of the company. “Tom’s leadership, knowledge of the industry and strategic thinking will allow 3B Medical to continue to grow and achieve its objectives,” he said. “His patient and customer first approach align well with 3B Medical’s mission. Adding valuable knowledge around the chronic diseases and treatment, along with his proven ability to build scale, allows 3B Medical to continue to build on its fast-growing businesses. We look forward to Tom’s leadership in continuing to build a world-class organization.” Most recently, Pontzius served as the leader of industry affairs and business development at Philips, where he worked for 12 years in various leadership roles. 

AdaptHealth adds director to board 

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – AdaptHealth has appointed Greg Belinfanti to the company’s board of directors. Belinfanti is a senior managing director of One Equity Partners and will serve as the private equity firm’s designee on the board. “We appreciate OEP’s continued support and welcome Greg to the board of directors,” said Richard Barasch, chairman of the board. Belinfanti currently serves on the boards of Restorix Health and Ernest Health, and formerly served on the boards of Simplura Health Group, Arthrocare and Celltrion Healthcare. Brad Coppens, the firm’s previously appointed designee, will continue as an independent director.