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.

  • Providers

    Manufacturer News

    Aerogen Receives FDA Approval for Nebulizer: Mountain View, Calif.-based Aerogen has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its Aeroneb Go nebulizer for home use. The aerosol product features the same electronic micro-pump technology featured in the company’s professional nebulizer system used in hospitals and other institutions. Sun Capital Partners Acquires RDI: An unnamed affiliate of Boca Raton, Fla., investment firm Sun Capital Partners of has acquired Foley, Ala.-based Respiratory Distributors, Inc., a specialty distributor of products to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory disorders. “This new partnership provides the foundation to take RDI to the next level, and we are pleased that Sun Capital shares our progressive vision for the future,” said Marty McClantoc, CEO of RDI. “In...

    Read More →

  • HME Products

    Respironics Nasal Masks Recalled

    Murrysville, Pa. Respironics announced it had voluntarily recalled more than 5,000 ComfortGel Nasal Masks used to treat sleep apnea. According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement, the user instructions say the mask contains an exhalation port and does not require a separate exhalation device. However, the product was distributed without the exhalation port, meaning the patient could “experience increased CO2 re-breathing and associated oxygen deficiency. In some cares, suffocation may result,” the announcement said. The masks were shipped to HME providers and distributors between Sept. 5 and Sept. 15, 2003. The recall was initiated Sept. 29. Respironics, which reported the problem to the FDA Sept. 26, said it will work closely with the FDA to ensure all masks are returned for thorough inspection,...

    Read More →

  • Providers

    Newsmakers

    Atlanta-based Graham-Field Health Products has appointed Sheldon “Shelly” Prial director of government relations. Prial founded the Homecare Providers Co-Op, a buying group and grassroots advocacy center for independent HME dealers, which is now part of Waterloo, Iowa-based The VGM Group. Prial, a HomeCare columnist and author of Yes, It Really Works: Building HME Retail Sales, will continue to work from Prial Consulting in Melbourne, Fla. Graham-Field, a manufacturer and distributor of home care, long-term care and acute care products, emerged from bankruptcy in May. Cory Smith, group show director for Medtrade and Medtrade Spring, has been appointed director of Atlanta-based VNU Exposition’s Building Group, which includes the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, Wood Technology and Multi-Housing World events. VNU produces the Medtrade shows. Zuzette Estevez,...

    Read More →

  • Operations

    Join HomeCare at Medtrade Spring for : Trading Spaces, HME Style

    Led by Jack Evans and Ed Lemar, two of the industry’s leading retail showroom designers, this special hands-on workshop will teach you how to redesign your own HME showroom. You will see what successful home health retail stores look like and how they: Once you’ve learned about these key components, work with others to “build” a better showroom, and talk with the session leaders about improving your own store. Toss out your old gondolas! Open up your towering shadowed aisles! Learn how to make your showrooms inviting, open spaces that can work to generate sales! Wednesday, March 17 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Medtrade Spring Las Vegas Convention Center Sponsored by HomeCare® “A successful and profitable retail showroom is not something that magically appears out...

    Read More →

  • HME Products

    Manual Wheelchairs

    TiLite/Wheelchair ZRA Call 800/545-2266. Web site: www.tilite.com Circle 450 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Nova Ortho-Med/Wheelchair Star Standard Wheelchair Call 800/557-6682. Web site: www.novaorthomed.com Circle 449 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Innovation in Motion/Wheelchair Jewel MPS Call 800/327-0681. Web site: www.vestil.com/wc Circle 448 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Drive Medical Design & Mfg./Wheelchair Viper Plus Call 877/224-0946. Web site: www.drivemedical.com Circle 447 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Market Insight “[The manual wheelchair market emphasizes] the influence of weight across the entire manual product category, rigids through manual tilt. Customer feedback [has been] to make a product as light and maneuverable as possible without compromising adjustability.” — Myria Crawford, Mobility Marketing Manager, Sunrise Medical Pride Mobility Products/Wheelchair Stylus Call 800/800-8586. Web site:...

    Read More →

  • Providers

    National Seating and Mobility Opens Three Branch Locations

    Franklin, Tenn. National Seating and Mobility has opened three new branch offices. A branch in El Dorado Springs, Mo., will serve clients throughout central Missouri, northwest Arkansas, Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. A Cranston, R.I., branch will serve the Providence region, and a Dunbar, W.Va., branch will serve the Charleston, W.Va., metropolitan area. With more than 50 locations nationwide, the company provides specialized rehabilitation technology products and services for severely physically challenged individuals. For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.

    Read More →

  • HME Products

    New Products

    Lauren Manufacturing Co./Wheelchair Cushion Comfortechnology SI-Tack Premier Gel-Foam Cushion Call 800/683-0676. Web site: www.lauren.com Circle 499 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Respironics/Nasal Mask ComfortGel Call 800/345-6443. Web site: www.respironics.com Circle 498 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Surgical Appliance Industries/Compression Hosiery TruForm Fashion Plus Trouser Socks Call 800/336-6569. Web site: www.surgicalappliance.com Circle 500 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Bristol-Myers Squibb/Diabetic Care Products ChoiceDM Call 800/468-7746. Web site: www.choicedm.com Circle 497 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Quantum Rehab/Wheelchair Control Micro Joystick Call 800/800-8586. Web site: www.quantumrehab.com Circle 495 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Creative Specialties Intl./Elevated Toilet Seat Locking Elevated Toilet Seat Call 800/321-8809. Web site: www.moen.com Circle 494 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Varilite/Wheelchair Cushion Valve PSV Pressure Setting Valve...

    Read More →