Author

HomeCare Staff

HomeCare staff Meg Herndon and Hannah Wolfson were joined by writers Kristin Easterling and Gail Short to tell these stories. Tamara Davie’s photo on page 32 was taken by Ursula Hope Photography.

  • Legislation & Regulation

    Administration Pegs Medicare Reform at $534 Billion

    Washington In its $2.4 trillion budget for 2005, the Bush administration pegs the cost of the new Medicare reform law over the next decade at $534 billion. That’s about a third more than the Congressional Budget Office estimate of $395 billion lawmakers used when the controversial legislation passed after a months-long debate. The new Medicare law makes prescription drug benefits available to the more than 40 million Americans covered under the massive government program, and also gives insurance companies and private health plans a role. Administration officials added that predicting a price for Medicare includes a range of unknowns, such as how much drug prices will rise, how many seniors will buy drug coverage and how many of those enrolled in the program will switch...

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  • HME Products

    New Products

    Roscoe Medical/Chin Strap Sure-Fit Call 800/376-7263. Web site: www.roscoemedical.com Circle 498 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Homecare Products/Wheelchair Oxygen Carryon EZ-Accessories Dual Oxygen Carryon Call 800/451-1903. Web site: www.homecareproducts.com Circle 481 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Respironics/Concentrator Millennium M Call 800/345-6443. Web site: www.respironics.com Circle 494 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Quantum Rehab/Wheelchair Power Positioning System Tru Balance Call 800/800-8586. Web site: www.quantumrehab.com Circle 499 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Consumer Care Products/Traction Tape High Visibility Call 920/893-4614. Web site: www.comsumercareinc.com Circle 459 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. SleepNet/Nasal Mask Headgear MiniMe Headgear Call 800/742-3646. Web site: www.sleep-net.com Circle 500 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. A&D Medical/Blood Pressure Monitor LifeSource UA-704 Mini Manual Inflate Call 800/726-7099. Web site: www.lifesourceonline.com...

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    GAO Investigates Medicare Ad Campaign

    Washington The General Accounting Office, at the request of several congressional Democrats, has decided to investigate whether the Bush administration is using a Medicare ad campaign for political purposes. In February, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson unveiled a nationwide education campaign to inform Medicare’s 40 million participants about the program’s new benefits. Under provisions of the Medicare reform law, seniors will be offered a prescription drug discount card in June of this year, and a prescription drug benefit starting in 2006. Pegged at $12.6 million, the campaign includes network and cable television advertising to run through March, and a print, radio and Internet Spanish-language campaign. HHS has also produced a flyer about the new Medicare law to be mailed to 36...

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    Debate on DMERC Power Wheelchair Clarification Heats Up

    Washington Debate surrounding the DMERC clarification on Medicare coverage for power wheelchairs heated up last month as industry stakeholders expressed their frustrations about the policy during a CMS Home Health, Hospice and DME Open Door Forum on Feb. 18. The controversial clarification followed CMS’ September 10-point plan, called “Operation Wheeler Dealer,” aimed at curbing fraud and abuse of the Medicare power wheelchair benefit. One of the plan’s points required the four durable medical equipment regional carriers to adopt a consistent approach to medical review of motorized equipment. According to the ensuing clarification, which was posted on the DMERCs’ Web sites in December, power wheelchairs are covered for “patients who are non-ambulatory,” that is, those who “can only bear weight to transfer from a bed to...

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  • CMS/Medicare

    A New Medicare Era

    The new Medicare law signed by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2003, includes a number of reforms that affect Medicare beneficiaries and the home care providers who serve them. The following highlights of portions of the law from the American Association for Homecare’s Asela Cuervo, senior vice president, and Ann Howard, director of federal policy, will give you the basics, as will AAHomecare’s accompanying summary of certain provisions. The summary chart is available in its entirety to association members at www.aahomecare.org. To view the entire law as it is written (678 pages), visit http//thomas.loc.gov. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) has two primary purposes: to provide prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and to encourage as many beneficiaries as possible to consider...

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  • Providers

    Provider News

    WHI to Provide Home Care Services for United HealthCare Deerfield, Ill. In February, Walgreens Health Initiatives, through Walgreens Home Care Inc., began serving United HealthCare Insurance Co., one of the country’s largest managed care organizations. WHI will provide home care services, infusion, HME and respiratory services, including respiratory medication, to all United HealthCare plans and participating affiliates. WHI, a division of Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain with 4,290 stores, currently operates accredited home care facilities in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin, and will initially serve United HealthCare members in these states. SHMS to Acquire We Care Medical Boca Raton, Fla. Specialized Home Medical Services (SHMS) will acquire We Care Medical, a Michigan DME provider, for an undisclosed sum. According to...

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  • CMS/Medicare

    OIG Says Reimbursement for Inhalation Drugs Excessive

    Washington Medicare reimbursement for ipratropium bromide and albuterol continues to be at higher levels than that of other payers — even after 2004 reimbursement reductions. That’s according to Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General reports titled Update: Excessive Medicare Reimbursement for Ipratropium Bromide and Update: Excessive Medicare Reimbursement for Albuterol, both released last month. The reports say that Medicare could have saved $263 million in 2002 if the federal program had used the Medicaid federal upper limit amount for albuterol reimbursements, and $386 million by reimbursing ipratropium bromide at the upper limit amount. The 2004 reimbursement reductions for the Part B drugs, to 80 percent of the Average Wholesale Price, were among the first changes to become effective under the Medicare...

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  • Providers

    Manufacturer News

    Invacare Acquires Infusion Therapy Distributor Elyria, Ohio Invacare has acquired the assets of ACS, a Deer Park, N.Y.-based division of Mediq PRN Life Support Services, which distributes medical supplies with a focus on infusion therapy. ACS will be combined with Invacare Supply Group’s current distribution business, headquartered in Holliston, Mass., and ACS’ sales and customer service personnel will be employed by ISG. The company’s distribution system will be consolidated into ISG over the next several months. ResMed Launches Sleep Apnea Web Site San Diego ResMed has launched www.myresmed.com, a sleep-apnea treatment support Web site for people who use positive airway pressure devices. “MYResMed provides a free service to help dealers and sleep clinicians orient, educate and support new CPAP users. That’s the way to help...

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  • Providers

    Industry Newsmakers

    Louis Feuer has joined The VGM Group as educational adviser. Feuer will work with Sara Bauer, VGM director of education, to provide sales and marketing information to VGM group members; serve as curriculum adviser to VGM U, the group’s online HME university; and offer a new program called “HME Express Orientation,” a four-module course for newcomers to the industry. Feuer, a monthly columnist for HomeCare, will continue to operate his Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based business, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc. Aaron J. Kozloski has joined the Greenville, S.C.-based Health Law Center as senior counsel, and will run the firm’s new offices in Columbia, S.C. Kozloski was most recently general counsel and chief lobbyist for the South Carolina Medical Association and previously has served as administrator for...

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