HALIFAX, Va., Jan. 28, 2013—The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers (NAIMES) announces that it has acquired the Committee to Save Independent HME suppliers (CSIHME) and merged it into the national trade association. “We are pleased with this merger which will combine the resources of CSIHME with NAIMES,” according to NAIMES Chairman Wayne Sale. “This effectively doubles our resources and will improve the effectiveness of NAIMES as an advocate for its members in the independent supplier community.”
Sale also noted that the merger brings a renewed spirit of determination to the organization’s battle to replace the ill-fated national DME bidding process.
CSIHME President David Petsch stated that “CSIHME has served an important role for the industry and our Executive Committee was unanimous is approving this merger. We feel that putting the two groups together is sensible and strategic as we approach the pending Round 2 launch.”
NAIMES will continue forward as a non-profit trade group focused on the needs of America’s independent suppliers. As a part of this merger, Todd Tyson—president of Hi-Tech Healthcare, Inc., in Norcross, Ga., and a CSIHME Executive Committee member—will join the NAIMES Board. Tyson is also the past president of the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Services.
CSIHME was created in 2009 to serve as the funding source for a lobby effort on behalf of small independent suppliers. Originally it was formed to fight a proposed revision to the Medicare home oxygen benefit that would have likely moved oxygen services from DME to home health type benefit. This proposed legislation, known as the Ross Amendment, would have been devastating to the independent DME oxygen community. NAIMES and CSIHME strongly opposed the legislation and through the efforts of the members of both organizations, in coordination with the CSIHME funded lobbyist, they were able to stop the language from being added to a bill during an Energy and Commerce Committee markup. The initiative, initiated by the Committee for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC) and at that time supported AAHomecare, was ultimately dropped.
NAIMES will retain and continue the services of the lobby firm, Tauzin Consultant, LLC. Currently the lobby efforts are directed at passage of the MPP bill and other strategic goals central to the independent supplier community. NAIMES will expand its efforts to secure funding to insure that the future of all of independent suppliers is protected from initiatives that do not have the best interest of small suppliers at heart. “We view this consolidation of the only two national groups focused solely on the small independent supplier as a positive strengthening of the NAIMES goals,” said NAIMES President Wayne Stanfield.
As part of this merger, Raquel Morgan has joined NAIMES staff to serve as operations coordinator and assist with the membership effort currently underway. NAIMES staff and board members make regular trips to Washington on behalf of their members.
In a recent announcement to state and regional DME associations, NAIMES stated they will be traveling to various state, regional, and national meeting and shows to talk about Congressional District grassroots advocacy and providing education to suppliers on developing all important personal relationships with their members of Congress. Go online to www.dmehelp.org.
