industry

HME

  • A Ton of Prevention

    The Medicare Reform Act, otherwise known as the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA), became effective Jan. 1, 2004. Although the reimbursement reductions that affect the home medical equipment industry will become more severe over time, you should not sit idly and wait for the larger cuts to become effective. Rather, it is imperative to begin evaluating your company’s practices to prepare for the bigger changes that are forthcoming. Knowing what to expect will help you make an educated decision about your company’s future direction. Refine Operations Know the facts. Before planning for change, explain Medicare reform to your staff. Identify those changes that are effective immediately and those whose implementation is scheduled for later. For example, we know that fees are frozen…
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  • Look Upon the Doughnut

    The last few months have been trying times, filled with much confusion, with information changing daily, with regulations that we all have difficulty understanding. It seems that the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., are having difficulty in finding a common approach to Medicare, to Medicaid, to Social Security, to a rapidly rising national debt and to resolving our difficulties with terrorists. While the government’s recent actions have had a detrimental effect on the average DME/HME dealer, HHAs and most other health practitioners, this is not the time for sackcloth and ashes. On the contrary, now is when you have to restructure your plans for the future. Throughout this issue of HomeCare, you’ll find lots of suggestions from the experts on how to prepare your business for…
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  • Latest HME News

  • Picking Up the Pace

    It’s no secret that participating in sports and recreation offers a wealth of benefits in terms of physical and emotional health. For people with disabilities,
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  • 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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  • Industry Stakeholders Fight DMERC Power Wheelchair Clarification

    Washington In response to the policy clarification on power wheelchairs issued in December by the four DMERCs, industry stakeholders continue their opposition and have requested an open dialog with the Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the issue. According to the DMERCs’ new clarification, power wheelchairs will be covered only for “patients who are non-ambulatory.” (See “The Scooter Store Lays Off 200,” page 8.) Industry advocates have also said that the clarification’s medical review guidelines may be applied retroactively. “The application of these new policies to beneficiaries who have already received power wheelchairs that met the previously accepted coverage criterion will cause irreparable harm to both beneficiaries and suppliers,” said American Association for Homecare President and CEO Kay Cox. In a December letter…
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  • Apria Signs OSA Suppliers, Does Not Renew Gentiva Contract

    Lake Forest, Calif. To accommodate the growing sleep apnea market, Apria Healthcare has extended its purchasing relationship with Murrysville, Pa.-based Respironics and has also signed shared primary supplier agreements with New Zealand-based Fisher & Paykel and Longmont, Colo.-based Sunrise Medical. Respironics will remain a shared primary supplier for all CPAP sleep therapy units and accessories. The company will be the primary supplier for all bi-level and smart CPAP devices for the sleep apnea market and the single-source supplier for all infant apnea and sleep diagnostic equipment. Respironics will also continue as a shared primary supplier for volume ventilators. Lisa Getson, Apria’s executive vice president, business development/clinical services, said the provider also named Fisher & Paykel as a shared primary supplier. Under terms of the agreement,…
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  • 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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  • 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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  • Redefining Rehab: Making a Name for Itself

    Over the last few years, the only thing more elusive than adequate funding for rehabilitation products and services has been an objective and comprehensive definition of rehab. Many profess to know what it is — and what it isn’t. One person’s rehab is another’s consumer power. There seems to be a pervasive attitude that “high-end” rehab is intrinsically better than all the rest. Many people dislike the service delivery model used by providers of non-rehab mobility services and mistakenly denigrate the value of these products and services to clients. Given the funding environment on both the federal and state levels, these issues have polarized the industry and profession, and rightly so. To be sure that we are all speaking the same language, here are two…
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  • Redefining Rehab: From State House to Capitol Hill

    In 2003, Tennessee became the first state to mandate certification for HME dealers when fitting individuals in wheelchairs for long-term use. Now known as “consumer protection” legislation, the law is a good beginning, according to Darren Jernigan, director of government affairs for Lebanon, Tenn.-based Permobil, which was instrumental in drafting the legislation and hopes to encourage other states to follow Tennessee’s lead. While provisions in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 make accreditation mandatory for providers reimbursed by Medicare, state laws would require certification for individuals and would apply to all providers, whether they do business with the government or not. “Requiring that a consumer who needs a wheelchair for long-term use be seen by a person with credentials in seating…
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  • Redefining Rehab: Serving Bob

    Many in the home medical equipment services industry wonder why the rehab community is constantly trying to differentiate itself from the rest of HME.
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  • Redefining Rehab: New Rehab Coalition Forms

    An independent coalition of advocates has formed to address specific issues in the home medical equipment industry’s high-end rehabilitation sector. The National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology (NCART) will provide highly focused attention to the needs of suppliers and manufacturers who concentrate primarily on dealing in high-end rehab and assistive technology products. Based in Washington, D.C., the new organization was, at press time, scheduled to be operational in early February, according to Rita Hostak, vice president of government relations for Sunrise Medical, Longmont, Colo. Hostak will serve as NCART president and chairman of the board. “This is a critical time for rehab and assistive technology companies,” says Hostak. “There must be a concentrated effort in order to ensure access to the technology and services…
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