In brief: Viemed acquisition, Philips recall, Quipt public offering

LAFAYETTE, La., - Viemed Healthcare will acquire Tennessee based Home Medical Products, a large regional provider of respiratory focused home medical solutions. 

“We are incredibly excited to complement our strong history of organic growth by combining great teams through accretive transactions” said Casey Hoyt, Viemed CEO. “The purchase of HMP will launch our acquisition growth initiatives with a stellar organization that has an extraordinary reputation with patients, payors and physicians. Above all, the team at HMP shares our same driving passion for innovative patient-focused care.” 

Home Medical Products, Inc., which was founded in September 2004, in 2022 generated net revenues of approximately $28 million. It currently has offices throughout Tennessee and in Alabama and Mississippi. Founder David Steele, CEO Jason Shiflet, and the HMP team are expected to join Viemed upon the completion of the transaction. 

“We are exceptionally proud of the work that we have done to build HMP into the patient-centered organization that it is today,” said Steele. “We are now thrilled to become part of the Viemed family, allowing even greater expansion of care. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the management team and culture at Viemed and we are very excited to leverage the talent and resources of the combined companies.” 

FDA, Philips parse device numbers 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is seeking to clarify the number of replacement and remediated devices that Philips has shipped to customers in the US. 

The April 13 notice states that the FDA is clarifying that the number is considerably less than the 2,460,000 “new replacement devices and repair kits” that Philips states on its website. 

“The 2,460,000 number includes manufactured repair kits that Philips shipped internally to their repair facilities, which are not replacement or remediated devices that have been shipped to consumers,” states the FDA. 

The FDA is concerned this may impact the estimated wait time for consumers still waiting for a replacement device. 

In an email to HME News, Philips said:  

“We are looking into how to best address the concern of the FDA. To date, we have consistently reported on the total amount of new replacement devices and repair kits that have been produced and shipped to the country of destination. This means that not all of these devices are already in the hands of patients. To date, approximately 2.2 million devices have been remediated in the US.” 

Earlier this month, the FDA announced that Philips had recalled 1,088 certain reworked DreamStation devices distributed between Dec. 1, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2022. For that recall, the company sent affected provider customers and patients an “Important Product Notice” with recommendations. For providers, it says a replacement product will be provided for exchange of affected devices. 

Invacare to partner with sales organization to boost Lifestyle portfolio 

ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare has partnered with MedTech/MedCare LLC, a national sales organization, to expand the reach of its Lifestyle product portfolio. 

“As Invacare continues to strengthen its position, we’re excited to launch this partnership with MTMC,” said Paul Lavin, vice president of North America Commercial Operations at Invacare. “We are confident their experienced, trusted sales team and strong ties to the health care industry will amplify our current market position. This partnership offers tremendous potential to better serve our customers and end users, as well as bring our products to new markets.”  

Invacare announced in the fall that it would discontinue production of respiratory products to focus on its core business of Lifestyle and Seating and Mobility Products.   

With more than 150 sales professionals, MTMC will serve as an extension of the Invacare team, leveraging its extensive network of relationships in the home health care industry to amplify the company’s sales pipeline through existing channels, including Veterans Affairs hospitals and long-term care facilities and distributors, as well as initiate new channels. 

"MTMC is inspired to partner with Invacare,” said Jack Moran, managing partner of MTMC. “Invacare brands have a strong reputation that we look forward to building on. The partnership will strengthen MTMC's portfolio in the long-term care and Veterans Affairs market segments." 

Invacare announced in February that it had filed for Chapter 11 in Texas.   

AAHomecare to gather input from industry 
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare will launch a survey on May 1 seeking input from a broad group of HME stakeholders to help it set priorities for the next two to three years.  

Data from the survey will help guide a comprehensive strategic planning process that began in earnest this March and will include an in-person meeting for the full AAHomecare Board in July.  

“Reimbursement models, payer mixes, patient preferences, health care technology and government policies affecting HME are going to continue to evolve – and we need to ensure we’re able to influence these new developments where we can,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president and CEO. “If we’re not thinking ahead, we’ll be falling behind the pace of change.” 

AAHomecare will also use data from the survey to determine how it wants to allocate resources to advance important priorities and provide value to members. 
  
All segments of the HME community, including companies that are not currently association members, are encouraged to participate. 

The survey will close on May 12. 
  
Jones Medical Supply teams up for sleep testing 

TROY, Ala. – Jones Medical Supply has partnered with the Troy Regional Sleep Disorders Center to offer sleep studies to Troy Trojan offensive line players. 

Football players who choose to participate will undergo a sleep study conducted by the Troy Regional Sleep Disorders Center to determine if they have OSA and would benefit from a CPAP machine. 

“Sleep is extremely vital to overall health,” said Rick Smith, Troy Regional CEO, “and we are excited to partner with Jones Medical Supply to help get these athletes healthier and feeling better.” 

The testing of the line will begin in June, and the sleep study team will track the results and look at performance both on and off the field. 

“By the time football season starts, we will have some results to share,” said Jason Jones, owner of Jones Medical Supply. 

Jones Medical Supply in 2022 became one of the first DMEs in the country to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with two local college athletes at Troy University. 

PAMES welcomes Alaska to the fold 

JUNEAU, Alaska – The board of directors of the Pacific Association of Medical Equipment Services (PAMES) unanimously voted to extend its coverage to include Alaska, according to a bulletin from AAHomecare. Aaron Sycks, CEO of Procare Home Medical, which has branches in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, Wasilla, and Juneau, will join the association’s board as the Alaska Director. "We are pleased to have Alaska welcomed to the Pacific Association for Medical Equipment Services,” said Sycks. “Companies in Alaska encounter exceptional challenges, particularly in remote areas, which we are confident that our PAMES membership will enable us to address more effectively. Members of the Alaskan HME community will provide valuable contributions to PAMES discussions, leveraging our rich history of overcoming extraordinary circumstances in the HME industry." 
  
NRRTS names award winners 

PITTSBURGH – NRRTS awarded Carey Britton, ATP/SMS, CRTS, and Elaine Stewart, ATP, CRTS, with the Simon Margolis Award at the 38th annual International Seating Symposium, which took place April 13-15 in Pittsburgh. The organization also honored Steve Cranna with a Leadership Award and named Mark Sullivan an Honorary Fellow. Additionally, NRRTS gave Gerry Dickerson, CRTS, an immediate past president of the organization, a Lifetime Achievement Award. NRRTS presented the awards on April 14 during a reception at the Heinz History Center. 

1800Wheelchair launches transport chair line 

TALLMAN, N.Y. – 1800Wheelchair has launched a line of ultra-light travel transport chairs. The chairs, manufactured by Feather Mobility, feature a robust aluminum frame and weigh less than 15 pounds. “Mobility and independence are essential aspects of our users' lives, and at 1800Wheelchair, we are committed to providing products that address their unique needs," said Joseph Piekarski, owner of 1800Wheelchair. "Our new ultra-light travel transport wheelchairs are a testament to our dedication to innovation, as they offer a practical and convenient solution to the challenges faced by many wheelchair users when traveling." The travel transport wheelchairs also have a range of user-friendly features, including padded armrests and comfortable seating to provide optimal support, while the adjustable footrests and rear wheel locks ensure a secure and customized experience. 

Eversense trial expands to pediatric diabetes patients 

GERMANTOWN, Md. – The first pediatric patient in the ENHANCE clinical trial has been inserted with the Eversense 365-day system, said Senseonics Holdings, a medical technology company focused on the development of long-term implantable CGMs. “It’s a priority for Senseonics to extend the benefits of Eversense to the pediatric patient population,” said Francine Kaufman, MD, chief medical officer for Senseonics. “The differentiated features of our long-term implantable Eversense are uniquely suited to benefit pediatrics and enable parents and their children to work together to manage diabetes.” The ENHANCE trial will evaluate the accuracy and safety of the Eversense for up to one year. More than 165 adults received the Eversense in trials and the last patient is expected to submit their data during the third quarter of 2023. An investigational device exemption supplement was submitted and approved for expansion of the trial to allow for patients ages 14 to 18.  

• Read about Ascensia’s “big leap forward” with the Eversense 3. 

Quipt to sell $35M in shares 

CINCINNATI – Quipt Home Medical Corp. has entered into an agreement with Beacon Securities Limited and Canaccord Genuity Corp. on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters in a public offering. The underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis pursuant to the filing of a prospectus supplement, an aggregate of 4,460,000 common shares in the capital of the company at a price of $7.85 per share for a total of $35,011,000. Concurrent with the public offering, the company and the underwriters also intend to complete a brokered private placement of common shares at the issue price for gross proceeds of approximately $2 million in the Province of Québec. Quipt will use the proceeds for debt repayment, potential future acquisitions, working capital and general corporate purposes. The offering is expected to close on or about April 25, 2023, and is subject to certain closing conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the applicable securities regulatory authorities. 

Tandem study shows great improvement for high A1c 

SAN DIEGO – Tandem Diabetes Care, has published the result of a meta-analysis of three randomized controlled trials of its Control-IQ advanced hybrid closed-loop technology. The results, published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics demonstrate the positive clinical impact of the system’s automatic correction bolusing on glucose control across a wide range of ages and demographics of people with Type 1 diabetes. People with the highest baseline blood sugar levels experienced the greatest benefit from the auto-bolus feature of the Control-IQ algorithm. “Control-IQ technology delivered the most robust improvements in those entering the study with the highest hemoglobin A1c and lowest time in range,” said Roy W. Beck, MD, PhD, executive director of the Jaeb Center for Health Research. “The high number of automatic boluses given by the system in this group likely reflect previously missed meal boluses or lack of manual correction boluses when on conventional therapy and demonstrates the substantial impact Control-IQ technology’s auto-bolusing feature can have for people struggling on a standard pump or multiple daily injections.” The analysis also showed an average increase in time in range of 2.8 hours and a reduction in A1c compared to control groups in people ages 2 to 72 years old. Improvements in time in range for subjects using Control-IQ technology (n=256) were immediate, sustained and observed across the spectrum of patient characteristics including age, race-ethnicity, parental education, family income, baseline glycated hemoglobin level, virtual vs. in-person training format, and pre-study insulin delivery method. The majority of the control group (n=113) used an insulin pump (91%), some with predictive low glucose suspend technology. 

NCPA cheers HHS decision on COVID-19 vaccines 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association is applauding the announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that extend certain pharmacist authorities through December of 2024. Specifically, the move will allow pharmacists, techs, and interns to continue administering COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to patients ages three and over. “Pharmacy teams and those throughout the supply chain worked hard to make the federal vaccine program a success, and succeed it has; nearly 302 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and reported by those participating,” said B. Douglas Hoey NCPA CEO. “Countless lives have been saved because of these efforts. We’re grateful to Secretary Becerra and the Biden administration for recognizing this with today’s announcement and will continue working to ensure that community pharmacies remain engaged in the fight against the coronavirus and other diseases.”