On the Edge? Climb Back from the Cliff at Medtrade 2010

ATLANTA — Keeping up with reimbursement requirements and
policy changes is something Kim Brummett does on a daily basis, and
she’ll share her knowledge with other providers during Medtrade’s
Pre-Show Conference Nov. 15.

Brummett, vice president for contracting and reimbursement at
Greensboro, N.C.-based Advanced Homecare, which provides infusion,
DME and home health care in Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas,
has been attending Medtrade for 15 years. For the last five, she
has been working with show organizers to present a pre-show
conference on reimbursement. This year’s all-day session, which
also will include speakers Miriam Lieber of Lieber Consulting and
Sarah Hanna of ECS Billing & Consulting, will review business
changes over the past year and look ahead to new requirements in
the next.

Brummett appreciates the opportunity to educate colleagues on
the changing regulations, specifically how to “turn an LCD (local
coverage determination) into an operational process,” she said.
“How do I take the reg and interpret it for my company and
implement it? What is the best practice in the industry?” Medtrade
offers the opportunity for providers to have candid conversations
“without worrying that you are talking to your competitor down the
road,” she said.

“As an industry, we really try to do the right thing,” Brumett
believes. “Medtrade is a great place to go and see what others are
doing and to see what others are struggling with. I always learn
something.”

With radical and frequent changes in reimbursement requirements,
the show enables providers to stay current, she said. “With the
audits we’re facing now, it doesn’t matter what were best practices
last year. With the perfect storm of competitive bidding and
audits, I think we all feel we are on the edge of a cliff. It’s
been a very challenging year for many of us.”

Medtrade’s 2010 Pre-Show Conference will be held from 8 a.m.
— 5 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. For
details on the Reimbursement Conference (presented by AAHomecare
and sponsored by RemitData) and other pre-show sessions —
including presentations from VGM, Pride Mobility Products/Quantum
Rehab, Sigvaris, Permobil, Philips Respironics and ResMed —
see the schedule at www.medtrade.com.

At the Medtrade conference and Expo Nov. 16-18, see new
products and services from more than 550 exhibitors and get the
latest on protecting business, serving patients and navigating the
regulatory and legislative mandates facing HME at some 140
educational sessions. Plus, check out:

• The Keynote Address, “The Power of Innovation
  and Creativity in Today’s Intense Business Environment: A Roadmap
  to Success in the HME Industry.” 9 – 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16
• AAHomecare’s Washington Update, a first look
  at legislative challenges in the 112th Congress and insights from
  guest speaker Stan Collender, a Capitol Hill insider and federal
  budget expert. 1:30 — 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17
• The NextGen Medtrade Accessible Home, a fully
  functional accessible home built right on the show floor and open
  for tours on all three Expo days.
• Medtrade Consumer Advocacy Day, designed to
  assist patients and their caregivers in developing a better
  understanding of the issues facing the HME industry. Thursday, Nov.
  18

For more information and registration, go to www.medtrade.com.

Use Code HOME2000 for a $20 discount off prices for the
show conference or Expo, good through Nov. 14. We’ll see you
there!