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.

  • Operations

    Attendance Booms at Medtrade Spring

    Las Vegas Two years ago, as George W. Bush warned of an imminent economic downturn, Medtrade Spring posted a 28 percent jump in attendance. And, while Bush’s prediction came true for the U.S. economy in general, Medtrade’s growth continued. This year, approximately 7,700 attendees filled the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center May 6-8 — more than twice as many as in 2001, according to Atlanta-based VNU Expositions, the show’s organizer. Of those attendees, about 71 percent — 5,500 — were home care providers and other purchasers, VNU explained. These positive statistics are due in part to record on-site registration, VNU said. On the morning of May 7, organizers watched in disbelief as approximately 1,500 attendees lined up to register on-site, spilling into the...

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  • Providers

    Partnership Designed to Enhance Medtrade Conferences

    Las Vegas AAHomecare and Atlanta-based VNU Expositions, which organizes the Medtrade shows, formed a partnership designed to strengthen educational programs at the conventions. Already, the two organizations are collaborating on conference design for Medtrade 2003 and Medtrade Spring 2004, AAHomecare said. “The involvement of AAHomecare will enhance the educational offerings of the Medtrade expositions by ensuring attendees receive a balance of programs that offer effective business strategies and up-to-date clinical information,” the association said. Louis Feuer, president of Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based Dynamic Seminars & Consulting — and former director of education for Medtrade — will continue to help the show organizers build educational content, the association said.

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  • Legislation & Regulation

    Legislative Lowdown

    Las Vegas Some of Medtrade Spring’s most popular conferences covered legislative and regulatory topics, explaining the prospects for national competitive bidding, the status of “inherent reasonableness” regulations and the progress of state licensure laws. Attendees filled the chairs, lined the walls and sat on the floor at the American Association for Homecare’s legislative update conference. Following are summaries of a few of the legislative and regulatory subjects that AAHomecare staff members discussed: DME Competitive Bidding — Tom Connaughton, AAHomecare’s president, said the home care industry was fortunate to escape DME competitive bidding last year, after President Bush’s 2003 budget and a successful bill in the House of Representatives touted the system as a viable way for the federal government to save money. There are many...

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  • Providers

    AAHomecare Names New President

    Las Vegas Kay Cox will replace Tom Connaughton as president of AAHomecare, effective June 1, the association announced last month at Medtrade Spring. Cox most recently served as vice president of the Washington office and political action committee of Beverly Enterprises, a $2.4 billion company that operates skilled nursing facilities nationwide. Since March 21, when Connaughton announced his decision to resign, the association has considered 26 candidates and interviewed seven finalists to fill his shoes, according to Steve Knoll, the association’s outgoing chairman. Prior to her Beverly position, Cox was president and chief executive officer of a health care consulting group, where she advised providers on public policy issues, the association said. Before that, she coordinated federal contracts with such government agencies as the Department...

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  • New Products

    Sunrise Medical/Folding Wheelchair Quickie Chameleon designed for quick assembly and features angle-adjustable seat sling features adjustable seat depth,

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  • Provider NewsWire

    Legislative NYMEP Forms Coalition to Fight Cut for Dual Eligibles: In its ongoing battle to block a state budget cut that would reduce Medicaid reimbursement

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  • Providers

    Manufacturer NewsWire

    Alliance ResMed and MedCath Form Strategic Alliance to Address Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Cardiovascular Disease: ResMed, based in San Diego, and MedCath — a national provider of cardiovascular services based in Charlotte, N.C. — have formed a strategic alliance in which MedCath will offer sleep-disordered-breathing screening, diagnosis and treatment, in addition to services the company currently offers through its cardiovascular diagnostic centers. The Pikes Peak Cardiovascular Lab in Colorado Springs, Colo., the first cardiovascular sleep lab established under the alliance, began diagnosing patients in December 2002. Noteworthy Respironics Consolidates Manufacturing for Hospital Division: In what the company is calling its “final step” toward integrating the recent acquisition of Novametrix Medical Systems, Respironics, Murrysville, Pa., is consolidating its hospital-division manufacturing. Under the consolidation, manufacturing and support functions...

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