industry

HME

  • Bring It On

    One of the most famous commentaries on the pursuit of happiness came from a group of shaggy rock stars in 1969: “You can’t always get what you want,” The Rolling Stones told us. But not getting what we want is only part of the problem, according to Daniel Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard. When it comes to predicting happiness, Gilbert says, “The problem is you can’t always know what you want.” At the heart of Gilbert’s theory is the idea that humans tend to overestimate the impact of events — both good and bad — on their lives. We predict that winning the lottery will solve all of our problems. We predict we’ll never recover from the loss of a job or the end…
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  • Texas Dj Vu: Another Big Power Wheelchair Scam

    Dallas News of power wheelchair fraud returned to the Lone Star State in February when 11 Dallas-area residents, including DME dealers and a physician, were arrested in a multi-million-dollar Medicare billing scheme. Unsealed Feb. 5 by the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Texas, indictments allege that the defendants submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement of power wheelchairs and diverted the funds they received from Medicare for personal use. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said billings in the schemes were in excess of $36 million, with more than $15 million paid out by Medicare to the defendants. According to the indictments, older individuals were often approached by recruiters who offered them free scooters in exchange for their Medicare information, which was then…
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  • Latest HME News

  • It Takes a Team

    Many patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis will tell you they could quit their jobs and retire to Hawaii if they had a dime for every time they heard, “but you don’t look sick.” During March, national MS Education and Awareness Month, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) is launching a campaign called “It Takes a Team to Tackle MS” to raise public awareness about this increasingly visible disease, which affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. The MSF also is educating MS patients themselves about the medical products that can ease their symptoms. The campaign includes several educational initiatives, product promotions and grant giveaways the foundation hopes will attract the attention of HME providers. MS is an autoimmune disease that is not contagious or fatal, but its…
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  • 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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  • An Issue of Access

    The situation is not exactly what HME providers projected during the last quarter of 2003 when they responded to HomeCare’s annual survey on purchase
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  • Ready for the Challenge

    The home care industry is facing many challenges in 2004 due to enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). The American Association for Homecare is well prepared. We have developed an action plan to ensure that policy-makers hear our message to preserve access to high-quality home care equipment and services. And we are putting our strategy in place, a multi-pronged approach that entails concerted efforts on Capitol Hill, in the administration and federal agencies, at the state level and in the public arena. Relationship Building Since passage of the new law, Capitol Hill and the administration have been in an “Okay, how do we move forward now?” mode. There have been lots of personnel changes in Washington, as is always the…
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  • On a Roll

    Mobility gives something that most people take for granted: the ability to live life with dignity and independence. In an ideal world, that’s a gift no
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  • 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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  • MOBILITY PRODUCT GALLERY

    Essential Medical Supply/Four-Wheel Aluminum Walker Blazer features loop hand brakes and 8-inch, flat-free tires tray and basket included height-adjustable
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  • 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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  • Dare to Soar

    The majority of my life is spent on airplanes visiting HME providers throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. As I fly from place to place, I see many similarities among these providers. The primary attribute I always notice and admire is the love and care that they give their patients. Most independent providers started their companies because of a personal experience with a loved one, or the love they have for helping others. Does this change just because a few laws change or reimbursement is cut? Absolutely not! New provisions in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, have made this a time of uncertainty for the home medical equipment industry. But HME providers have experienced many ups and downs…
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  • Getting Accredited and Doing It Now

    While the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) dictates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services develop quality standards for the durable medical equipment industry, the language of the law leaves interpretation wide open. Given the large number of DME providers and related organizations that must comply, it is expected that all accrediting organizations currently serving this industry will be needed to meet the requirement. It will be up to the provider to choose an accrediting organization and to develop a strategy for becoming accredited within a relatively short period of time. Fundamentally, accreditation is designed to establish a culture within a company that promotes sound business policies, best service and care practices, commitment to ethical conduct and methodologies that validate continual…
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