industry

HME

  • Product Innovation, Legislative Updates Draw 21,000 to Medtrade Show

    Atlanta Despite looming Medicare reform legislation and a moratorium on new supplier numbers, attendance was strong at Medtrade 2003, held Oct. 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The HME industry trade show drew more than 21,000 home medical equipment providers and other home health care professionals for the second straight year. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., opened the show with an address to attendees at the American Association for Homecare’s “Washington Update,” sponsored by HomeCare. Ross, who strongly opposes competitive bidding provisions in H.R. 1, the House of Representatives version of Medicare reform, said there is a great deal of ignorance on Capitol Hill about the HME business and how providers work. “Many members think you pick a price you want to charge and send…
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  • CMS to Process Some Supplier Numbers

    Baltimore Responding to concerns regarding the National Supplier Clearinghouse provider-number moratorium, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Tom Scully said the agency will process some provider numbers this month. During an Oct. 7 CMS Open Door Forum covering home health, hospice and DME, Scully said CMS staff and its regional offices would look at new supplier numbers on a case-by-case basis starting Nov. 1. He said whether a company is issued a number or not will depend on, among other factors, how far along a provider is in the application process. Scully warned, however, that applications from providers entering the program for the first time are not likely to see an outcome until January 2004. Although he apologized for any hardship providers face because…
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  • Latest HME News

  • Heard at the Show

    Some of the HME industry’s hottest issues were the subject of discussion among Medtrade speakers and attendees alike. Following are comments on just a few of the topics that dominated conversation at the show. On Medicare reform* — “We don’t know what will really happen. [AAHomecare] is still fighting because we can’t let just this small segment of our industry support the Medicare prescription drug benefit … We have had quite a few new letters come in against competitive bidding and also against the copay for home health and a lot of other issues that are hurting the whole frame of home care.” — Kay Cox, president and CEO, American Association for Homecare *According to Cox, AAHomecare received 20,000 responses from association members, industry providers,…
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  • RATC Rehab Code Applications Get Cold Shoulder from CMS

    The home health care industry should not expect any new HCPCS codes to result from applications filed this year by the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association for Homecare’s Re/hab and Assistive Technology Council (RATC). That was one of the subjects of the session entitled “Re/hab Issues Update,” presented by Rita Hostak, chair of the council. Hostak, who also is vice president of government relations for Longmont, Colo.-based Sunrise Medical, told the audience that, earlier this year, RATC submitted 35 new code applications for power and manual wheelchairs, alternative positioning, seating and bath safety. Preliminary recommendations by the Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicated that none of the applications would be approved this year, she added. However, approximately 50 new HCPCS codes for wheelchair accessories,…
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  • HomeCaring Awards Presented

    HomeCare has presented Donald H. Adler, president and CEO of Care Medical and Rehabilitation Equipment, Portland, Ore., and David T. Williams, legislative affairs consultant, Invacare, Elyria, Ohio, with the HomeCaring Award for 2003. Sponsored by Medtrade, the awards honor those whose dedication and commitment defines the “caring” that HME is all about. “Medtrade is pleased to sponsor the 2003 HomeCaring Awards because they exemplify the true spirit of the industry,” said Cory Smith, group show director for Medtrade. “This year’s recipients are well-deserving of this award, and prove that this industry is founded on those who continually provide quality care that exceeds expectations.” Adler and Williams were chosen from nominations submitted by HomeCare‘s readers and judged by a five-member panel of industry professionals, including Jerold…
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  • Not Your Father’s Respiratory Therapy

    Respiratory therapy continues to advance in home health care. Industry experts see no end to the market’s steady and, in segments like sleep apnea, skyrocketing growth. “The respiratory sector remains the most important revenue generator for home care providers,” says Erika Laskey, vice president of sales and marketing for CHAD Therapeutics. “Medicare spending for home oxygen grew 13 percent in 2002, and the aging population — the baby boomers — will start to impact our industry in as little as four years. Our future looks bright.” Within the market, two elements continue to shape respiratory product development: cost concerns, and a growing, educated patient base. Sleep Takes Center Stage The sleep disorders segment of the respiratory market is “dynamic,” says Ron Richard, vice president of…
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  • Preventing Medicare Fraud and Abuse

    Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a 10-point plan targeting Medicare fraud and abuse in the power mobility sector. The impetus for this aggressive crackdown was a Houston-based wheelchair scam involving unscrupulous doctors and providers who billed Medicare for power wheelchairs that were either never delivered or substituted with a less expensive model. The scam cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and AAHomecare and durable medical equipment providers applauded CMS for taking action to prevent this type of fraudulent activity from occurring in the future. But, because the new CMS initiative is untested, we need to be diligent in alerting CMS to our concerns and monitoring the effect that it has on the vast majority of law-abiding DME providers and the patients they…
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  • Little Things

    In the HME business, the No. 1 issue typically is reimbursement — with good reason. Reimbursement directly impacts your bottom line. And, while my main focus as a consultant is on reimbursement — as should your focus be as an HME provider — I also like to step away occasionally from the “big” issue and focus on the smaller issues that make HME companies unique. How many times have you heard the phrase “It’s the little things that matter”? Whether related to service or operational protocol, the day-to-day tactics you employ to run your business successfully also impact your bottom line. Be Our Guest To make sure she takes care of the little things, Kelly Riley, director of ViaChristi at Home in Ponca City, Okla.,…
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  • Books for HME Providers

    Direct-Mail Simplicity The U.S. Postal Service created “Simple Formulas: The Easy Way to Grow Your Business with Mail” to help small businesses with mailing and marketing. The program publishes various free booklets, from Stirring Up Sales with a Simple Catalog and The Five Habits of Highly Effective Postcards to The Six Features of Graphic Design That Sell. Each is available at www.usps.gov/directmail. To access, click “Simple Formulas” on the right menu bar. Talk the Talk Len Serafino wrote Sales Talk to help home care professionals talk the talk. The book covers conveying passion in a pitch, using presentation tools, approaching a sales call, knowing when to listen, mastering public speaking and factoring in non-oral communication. The book tells how to assess communication skills, helps eliminate…
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  • People on the Move

    Cara C. Bachenheimer will join Invacare, Elyria, Ohio, Oct. 20 as vice president of government relations. A specialist in health care legislation and rgulatory matters related to Medicare, Medicaid and other third-party payment programs, Bachenheimer was a partner with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Epstein Becker & Green. She previously served as vice president, member services, for the American Association for Homecare and worked with the Health Industry Distributors Association. Bachenheimer replaces David T. Williams, who, after 11 years in the position, has announced it is necessary for him to reduce his workload. He will remain associated with Invacare in a limited consulting role. Former Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Janet Rehnquist has joined Washington, D.C.-based Venable LLP, where she will…
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  • Pulling Together On Capitol Hill

    “We’ve got to be a team. Teamwork wins. If we don’t hang together, it’s for sure we’re going to hang separately.” Shelly Prial, HomeCare magazine, November 1999 The question is, is the home health care industry, circa 2003, hanging together? Or is it still in danger of hanging separately? Four years ago, just before the calendar flipped over into a new century, the industry — home medical equipment, home health agencies, home infusion, respiratory and rehabilitation — was in turmoil. Reimbursement was on a downhill slide. Federal mandates such as inherent reasonableness, competitive bidding, consolidated billing and the interim payment system were wreaking havoc in HME businesses and HHAs alike. Many simply shut up shop. Key stakeholders prescribed one antidote for the industry’s critical condition:…
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  • Battling Lethargy

    Apathetic, these all are terms that describe lethargy. When I look at many dealers from my ivory tower in Florida, I see another definition for lethargy.
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