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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.

  • Home Health

    Survey Shows Disabled Go Without Needed Equipment

    Washington Nearly half of the nation’s non-elderly adults with disabilities go without equipment and other items due to cost, according to a recent survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The report, Understanding the Health Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities: Findings from a 2003 Survey, found that people with disabilities who don’t have health insurance face the greatest challenges. Although most adults with disabilities do have some form of insurance, 69 percent of those without health insurance report having no regular doctor, and 67 percent go without needed equipment, such as wheelchairs. Among survey respondents with any type of health insurance, those with Medicare alone — and no supplemental coverage — reported the highest rates of serious cost-related problems. Nearly seven in...

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  • Industry Q&A

    Abbott to Acquire TheraSense for $1.2 Billion

    Abbott Park, Ill. Abbott Laboratories will acquire diabetes test-maker TheraSense Inc., which manufactures FreeStyle blood glucose self-monitoring systems, for $1.2 billion. TheraSense, Alameda, Calif., entered the market in mid-2000 and has specialized in products requiring very small blood sample sizes. The company has requested FDA clearance to market its FreeStyle Navigator, which is designed to provide real-time glucose data, hypo- and hyperglycemic alarms and trend analysis. The device continuously monitors glucose levels and transmits the results to a wireless receiver small enough to be carried in a pocket. Another TheraSense product, the CozMore Insulin Technology System, is under development with Deltec Inc., which provides infusion systems. Set to launch this year, the system combines the TheraSense glucose testing system and insulin delivery options if blood-sugar...

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    Court Blocks California Medicaid Reimbursement Reductions

    Sacramento, Calif. Citing potential beneficiary access problems, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in December blocking provider cuts to Medi-Cal, the California Medicaid program, that were slated to go into effect Jan. 1. The cuts were part of a compromise budget proposal passed last summer by the state legislature and signed by then-governor Gray Davis. For California HME providers, the ruling affects those who sell disposable medical supplies such as incontinence supplies, said Bob Achermann, executive director of the California Association of Medical Product Suppliers (CAMPS). A 5 percent reduction of DME was “discretionary for the [California Department of Health],” he said. The department has not said it would enact the reductions yet, and they probably will not do so, he explained, “because of...

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  • Operations

    Georgia Reports Computer Problems With Medicaid Payments

    Atlanta Since April 2003, Georgia providers have been filing electronic Medicaid claims based on ANSI standard HIPAA-compliant software. Unfortunately, receiving payment for such claims has been anything but smooth, according to Mike Hamilton, executive director of the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Services (GAMES). Last month, Phoenix-based consultants FourThought Group reported to the state’s Department of Community Health, which administers Georgia’s Medicaid program, that not all claims were paid correctly and payments were not sent to the correct providers. The state has a contract with Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services to process Medicaid claims. If a percentage of unpaid claims on-hand is significantly higher than paid claims for a given week for a particular provider, state claims processors have sent that provider payments equal to those...

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    Crossover Billing Begins For N.Y. Dual Eligibles

    Albany, N.Y. In December, the New York State Department of Health implemented a new procedure for billing Medicaid for Medicare co-insurance and deductible amounts for dual eligibles, or those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. The procedure follows state statutory changes enacted July 1, which reduced reimbursement to 20 percent of the 20 percent co-insurance cost, essentially representing a 16 percent cut, according to the New York Medical Equipment Providers association. For example, if a DME product costs $100, Medicare will pay $80, and the state’s Medicaid program will only reimburse $4 of the remaining $20 co-insurance, leaving $16 for the provider to absorb. Excluding pharmacy drug claims, according to NYMEP, the procedure is effective retroactively for dual-eligible claims submitted with dates of service on...

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  • Providers

    Medtrade Spring Preview

    Medtrade Spring is set to open next month in Las Vegas, and show producers say this edition of the buying and networking expo — a more intimate version of its fall trade show — will focus on building business and improving quality of life. To be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 16-18, the show will offer more than 75 educational sessions and exhibits from 450 HME manufacturers. Attendees can see the newest products, get an update on grassroots legislative efforts and learn the ins-and-outs of accreditation, soon to be required under the recent Medicare reform law. The spring event comes on the heels of Medicare legislation, just as the home medical equipment industry is looking at the playing board to plan its...

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  • HME Products

    Lifts, Ramps & Transfer Devices

    Precision Lifts/Interior-Exterior Lift Hide and Ride HD Call 800/225-7814. Web site: www.precisionlifts.com Circle 449 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Leisure-Lift/Equipment Lift Magnum Lift Call 800/255-0285. Web site: www.pacesaver.com Circle 448 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Access Industries/Stair Lift Select BOS Call 800/925-3100. Web site: www.accessind.com Circle 439 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Sunrise Medical/Portable Ceiling Lift System Guardian Voyager Lift and Easytrack Portable Track Call 800/333-4000. Web site: www.sunrisemedical.com Circle 440 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Homecare Products/Portable Ramp EZ-Access Modular Ramp Call 800/451-1903. Web site: www.homecareproducts.com Circle 450 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Silver Star Mobility/Inside Lift 2004 Backpacker Call 888/354-8250. Web site: www.silverstarmobility.com Circle 436 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Liko/Sit-to-Stand Electric Lift Nordic Capella 201 Call...

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  • HME Products

    New Products

    Respironics/CPAP System Remstar Plus Call 800/345-6443. Web site: www.respironics.com Circle 499 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Freedom Designs/Adjustable Chest Vest EE6W Call 800/331-8551. Web site: www.freedomdesigns.com Circle 489 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Breg/Shoulder CPM Flex-Mate S500 Call 800/321-0607. Web site: www.breg.com Circle 488 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Aerogen/Nebulizer Aeroneb Go Call 866/423-7643. Web site: www.aerogen.com Circle 493 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. dj Orthopedics/Pain Management System DonJoy Pain Control Device Call 760/727-1280. Web site: www.djortho.com Circle 496 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Homecare Solutions/Bed Enclosure Safe-N-Secure Call 877/909-2266. Web site: www.hcsolutionsinc.com Circle 495 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Apex Dynamics Healthcare Products/Power Lift Chair Windsor Call 800/742-0453. Web site: www.apexdynamics.com Circle 444 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company...

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  • Providers

    The Scooter Store Lays Off 200

    New Braunfels, Texas In January, The Scooter Store announced the layoff of 200 employees, a move the company attributes to the clarification of Medicare’s power wheelchair coverage policy, issued in December by the durable medical equipment regional carriers. “We deeply regret the necessity of reducing our work force,” Margaret McGuckin, the company’s executive vice president of marketing, stated in a press release. “Unfortunately, we have no choice since the unreasonable new ‘clarification,’ when its full impact is felt, may prevent us from serving thousands of disabled elderly people who, with power mobility, would have been able to continue to live independently.” Under the DMERCs’ clarification, issued as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ 10-point plan to curb power wheelchair fraud and abuse,...

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  • A Simple Plan

    Our staff often hears from providers who have discovered ways to improve their operations or increase their profits. We rarely hear from any of you that it’s easy to do those things. Lately, in fact, we hear that the paperwork and rules you deal with on a daily basis are making your jobs increasingly harder, requiring complex processes, checks and cross-checks, more staff, more training — and someone just to keep up with all the changes. That’s why the story of Vern and Ella Shafer caught our attention. Veterans of HME, the couple couldn’t wait to open their own company, where they knew they would have to tackle those daily tasks. Yet the Shafers’ common-sense approach to running their small business, complete with all the...

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