industry

HME

  • Keeping Eyes And Ears Open

    All home medical equipment companies brag and sell themselves on providing “quality services.” But do they really meet their claims? Quality is often the little things HME providers do that seem routine. Routine assessments of both the home environment and the patient’s use of equipment will not only assure quality patient services but may also reduce the company’s liability, should something go wrong. While such assessments can be used for all patients, they can be particularly helpful with patients undergoing various types of respiratory therapy. Each time a representative of your HME organization goes into a patient’s home, he or she should review both the environment and the patient for three important issues: Whether it’s on follow-up service visits or just during delivery of supplies,…
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  • Respiratory Update

    While respiratory manufacturers and providers face many legislative and regulatory issues, none has had as much impact as the changes included in the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). These include changes in the payment formula for respiratory drugs; special Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) pricing for certain types of durable medical equipment such as oxygen and oxygen equipment; a transitional freeze on DME rates; and competitive bidding. However, as the government implements these provisions of the law, the respiratory community has banded together to advocate against them to Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CHANGES IN THE PAYMENT FORMULA FOR RESPIRATORY DRUGS Beginning in 2005, the payment formula for respiratory drugs will switch from the current 80 percent of the average…
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  • Latest HME News

  • RESPIRATORY PRODUCT GALLERY

    CONSERVING DEVICES Victor Medical/Conserver O2N Demand II Call 800/382-8187. Web site: www.victormed.com Circle 500 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Allied Healthcare/Conserver Mini Liberty Call 800/444-0105. Web site: www.alliedhpi.com Circle 499 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Responsive Respiratory/Conserver Respond O2 Ultra-light Conserver System Call 866/333-4030. Web site: www.respondo2.com Circle 498 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. OXIMETERS Smiths Medical PM/Finger Oximeter BCI Digit Call 800/558-2345. Web site: www.smiths-medical.com Circle 494 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Nellcor/Oximeter OxiMax NPB-75 Handheld Capnograph and Pulse Oximeter Call 800/635-5267. Web site: www.nellcor.com Circle 493 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. CONCENTRATORS AirSep Corp./Oxygen Concentrator QuietLife 5 Call 888/874-0202. Web site: www.airsep.com Circle 450 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. OxLife/Concentrator Excel Call 800/780-2616. Web site: www.oxlife.com Circle…
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  • Banking on the Status Quo

    The seating and positioning market is … pick one: growing, slowing, both, neither. Perhaps more than any other market in the durable medical equipment industry, the prognosis for the health of the seating and positioning market most closely mirrors that for the entire industry. On one hand, growth factors for DME and seating and positioning are in plain view. The population of potential end users is booming, manufacturers are introducing better and more cost-effective products and the federal government has authorized several long-awaited improvements, including new, more specific HCPCS codes for many seating and positioning products. “The marketplace for all DME products is growing tremendously,” says Steve Schlegel, product manager for seating and positioning for Invacare. “Looking at the exceptionally large population of people getting…
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  • CMS Launches New Power Wheelchair Initiative, To Split K0011 Code

    Washington The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched an aggressive three-pronged initiative focusing on power wheelchair coverage, payment and quality controls for suppliers. The campaign was announced by recently appointed CMS Administrator Mark McClellan on April 28, and outlined by Herbert Kuhn, director of CMS’ Center for Medicare Management, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on power wheelchair fraud and abuse held the same day. The committee oversees the Medicare program and has been investigating the reasons for a dramatic increase in power wheelchair claims. “CMS has cracked down on fraud and abuse in the wheelchair market, including the launch of Operation Wheeler Dealer last fall in collaboration with the [Department of Health and Human Services] Office of the Inspector General,” said…
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  • Industry Reaction

    “The tenor of the hearing was not anti-[HME] industry. It was more anti-CMS than anything else, [with testimony describing] how they allowed this [power wheelchair] fraud and abuse to happen. The other good news is that what CMS announced … was very much in line with industry recommendations. They’re going to create more codes. It’s nice to have such recognition from the government.” — Cara Bachenheimer, vice president of government relations, Invacare Corp., Elyria, Ohio “My overall reaction is disappointment, but not surprise. I think we as an industry have a real PR issue that we need to address quickly. For the most part, the good suppliers are being painted with the same brush as those who were fraudulent. “I believe we need to work…
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  • CMS Introduces New Wheelchair Cushion Codes

    Baltimore Last month, CMS sent out a change-request transmittal to its contractors spelling out 20 new codes for wheelchair cushions — and eliminating, among others, the broad E0192 code. To become effective July 1, the new codes include cushion depth and height parameters, wheelchair cushions for general use, skin protection, positioning and seat backs, along with new codes for mounting hardware. For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.
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  • New Products

    Omron Healthcare/Electronic Nebulizer NE-U22V MicroAir Call 800/231-4030. Web site: www.omronhealthcare.com Circle 481 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Permobil/Power Wheelchair Street Call 800/736-0925. Web site: www.permobil.com Circle 491 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Viasys Healthcare/CPAP Interface Lyra Call 800/231-2466. Web site: www.viasyshealthcare.com Circle 482 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Avarius/Support Pillow SleepStreme Call 866/342-8151. Web site: www.sleepstreme.com Circle 493 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Living Independently Group/Home Health Security System QuietCare Call 866/216-4600. Web site: www.kcsa.com Circle 500 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Sroufe/Posterior Leg Splint 4000 Call 260/894-4171. Web site: www.sroufe.com Circle 497 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information LifeCare/Toilet Seat and Shower Chair EZ Up Chair Call 800/664-8342. Web site: www.lifecareusa.com Circle 486 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information…
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  • Bariatrics

    Big Boyz Industries/Bed Queen Pride 1000TC Convertible Call 877/574-3233. Web site: www.bariatricbeds.com Circle 450 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Amigo Mobility/Scooter HD450 Call 800/692-6446. Web site: www.myamigo.com Circle 447 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. James Consolidated/Turning Mattress Panda III Call 800/884-3317. Web site: www.volkner.com Circle 433 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Pride Mobility Products/Lift Chair GL-555 Call 800/800-8586. Web site: www.pridemobility.com Circle 444 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Altimate Medical/Heavy-Duty Stander EasyStand 5000 XL Call 800/342-8968. Web site: www.easystand.com Circle 436 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Drive Medical/Oversized Commode 11130-2 Call 877/224-0946. Web site: www.drivemedical.com Circle 437 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Invacare Corp./Power Wheelchair Pronto M94 Call 800/333-6900. Web site: www.invacare.com Circle 446 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company…
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  • New Products

    Turbo Wheelchair/Manual Wheelchair Merlexi Craft Call 800/959-4765. Web site: www.merlexi.com Circle 493 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Evolution Technologies/Walker Horizon DX Call 800/556-2558. Web site: www.evolution.ca Circle 488 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Consumer Care Products/Positioning Aid Functional Form 107 Side Layers Call 920/893-4614. Web site: www.consumercareinc.com Circle 439 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Bed-Check Corp./Bed Monitor Basic-Check and Classic-Check Call 800/523-7956. Web site: www.bedcheck.com Circle 441 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 483 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. A&D Medical/Blood Pressure Monitor LifeSource UA-767PC Call 888/726-9966. Web site: www.lifesourceonline.com Circle 498 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information Amoena/Post-Surgery Camisol Style 2105 Call 800/726-6362. Web site: www.us.amoena.com Circle…
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  • Earning Your Credentials

    I hope that you have read the February and March 2004 issues of HomeCare magazine very carefully. Among a series of articles advising providers on doing business in these changing times, the importance of accreditation is clearly described. Now, I want to play the Devil’s Advocate. Do we need accreditation? The meaning of accreditation is that someone (of authority) has sanctioned or provided credentials or certification that the recipient has met or complied with specific standards. At a Medtrade Spring panel discussion in Las Vegas, several of the industry’s accrediting organizations made presentations re-viewing their individual programs and respective benefits. What is interesting is that all of these programs have one common thread: They show DME/HME dealers ways to run their businesses more efficiently, and…
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  • Wheel-Chariots of Fire

    Top-tier wheelchair athletes are shattering records and racking up big titles this season — both on the court and on the street. Longmont, Colo.-based Sunrise Medical’s Team Quickie is heralding the performance of star basketball player Jeff Glasbrenner, who set a National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) record at the 56th NWBA Tournament April 4 in Phoenix. Glasbrenner scored 63 points and grabbed 26 rebounds for his team, the Denver Rolling Nuggets. In the process, he smashed the previous NWBA scoring record of 39 points set in 1968. Enmeshed in his performance, however, Glasbrenner was impervious to his record-breaking game. “I was in a zone,” he says. “I couldn’t hear the crowd. I had no idea.” Glasbrenner was named the tournament’s MVP and will go on…
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