industry

HME

  • Editor’s Inbox

    Stand Up for Respiratory Home Care Respiratory home care reimbursement is one of the solutions to totally improve the delivery of home health care in our nation. Medicare pays only for equipment but not for the cardiorespiratory assessment of a patient or modality of therapy treatment given at home by a respiratory therapist. An experienced respiratory professional knows if the patient needs the current therapy or not! And respiratory care must be practiced by a respiratory therapist, not a nurse! Everyone must strive to get this approved in Congress. Our patients, our children, our own post-retirement health care depend on it. It is a very bright future — and I believe it is going to be achieved. — Frank Alvarez, RRT, CPFT, president, Alvacare II…
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  • SMART Software

    The uncertainty that remains a constant in the home medical equipment industry fortunately is alleviated by the solutions HME software programs offer. Providers can streamline business functions, increase claims accuracy, decrease denials and fully manage their companies’ assets while remaining compliant with ever-changing regulations. Yet, a significant challenge remains: How can providers better use available technology to take full advantage of their software’s existing features? Freedom from the burdensome paper trail is a tremendous benefit, particularly in this industry, which is overly dependent on forms. “Instead of being bogged down with paperwork, HME software can take you from your purchase orders right through to electronic claims and accounts receivable as one integrated process,” says Brian Williams, marketing manager for Computer Applications Unlimited in Harrisburg, Pa….
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  • Latest HME News

  • Strengthening the Supply Chain

    Bob Mages, RRT, purchasing manager, watches out closely for RSVP Homecare’s children. Located in Covington, Ky., RSVP specializes in pediatric respiratory chronic needs. Reimbursement is tight, and each child’s requirements are extensive. A $5 million business operating from one location, the provider has built its service niche in a highly competitive market, so Mages also carefully manages purchasing activity by incorporating a combination of wholesalers and manufacturers. Currently, 20 to 25 percent of the company’s purchases are made through distributors including AmerisourceBergen, Gulf South Medical Supply, Invacare Supply Group, Medline Industries and McKesson. With these suppliers, Mages explains, “I can order in quantities that I can turn over and not tie up cash in inventory … I save time in the number of calls, number…
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  • AAHomecare Supports Accreditation Provision

    Alexandria, Va. During the weeks since the Senate made public its Medicare-reform bill, members of the durable medical equipment industry have debated hotly a provision that would require all DME providers to become accredited within three years of the bill’s passage. The American Association for Homecare has been vocal about other provisions of the Senate bill; however, until July 10, the association had not stated its position on the accreditation issue. While some providers hailed the accreditation provision as one that would help the DME industry combat negative stereotypes, others complained that the provision would harm small companies. “The cost and man hours to prepare for a survey is prohibitive for most small independents,” D. Rexford Maxey, president of Penn-York Medical Supplies in Binghamton, N.Y.,…
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  • Bariatrics

    Golden Technologies/Bariatric Lift Chair PR 502 Lift Recliner Call 800/624-6374. Web site: www.goldentech.com Circle 439 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Big Boyz/Bariatric Bed King’s Pride 1000 Call 877/574-3233. Web site: www.bariatricbeds.com Circle 449 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Sunrise Medical/Bariatric Walker Guardian Plus Bariatric Walker Model 30753B Call 800/333-4000. Web site: www.sunrisemedical.com Circle 438 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Eagle Health Supplies/Bath Bench Heavy-Duty Bath Bench with Armrests Call 714/666-0288. Web site: www.eaglehealth.com Circle 442 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Leisure-Lift/Bariatric Wheelchair The Boss Call 800/255-0285. Web site: www.pacesaver.com Circle 446 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Teftec/Bariatric Wheelchair BetaTrac Call 888/234-1433. Web site: www.teftec.com Circle 443 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. ConvaQuip/Bariatric Lift Chair 700 LC Call 800/637-8436. Web…
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  • Face to Face with Reimbursement

    Washington’s face may not have launched a thousand ships, but it certainly prompted thousands of HME providers to brave the seas of reimbursement over the past year. For some, the voyage was short, yielding approvals at every turn. For others, the voyage never ended, as denied claims piled up, payments stalled and the HIPAA deadline grew closer. The following pages hold snapshots from those voyages, provided by a few hundred of your peers. In May, HomeCare mailed reimbursement questionnaires to 1,500 randomly selected domestic subscribers, asking about denials, appeals, days sales outstanding, third-party payers and more. Many of the respondents were small, full-service HME providers. In fact, of the 353 participating businesses, 40.5 percent reported annual revenue of less than $1 million. Another 41.3 percent…
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  • On Notice

    When Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Tom Scully announced his concern about the increased use of motorized wheelchairs
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  • No Crystal Ball Necessary

    Where’s Carnac the Magnificent when you need him? If he were around, the late-night seer (courtesy of TV host Johnny Carson) might be able to answer the
    Read More →: No Crystal Ball Necessary

  • Casting Complete for Medicare Conference

    Washington The House and Senate last month set the stage for a conference that will decide the fate of Medicare reform. Casting Bill Thomas chairman of
    Read More →: Casting Complete for Medicare Conference

  • Provider NewsWire

    Noteworthy O2 Science Enters Oklahoma Market: Tempe, Ariz.-based O2 Science, a provider of respiratory therapy services and home health products, has
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  • Manufacturer NewsWire

    Legal Abbott to Settle Enteral-Nutrition Lawsuit: One subject of an industry-wide investigation into the sales and marketing practices of several enteral-nutrition
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  • Still a Solid Profit Center

    A burgeoning population, health conditions and diseases that are merely treated — not cured — and more efficient diagnostic practices make the respiratory market a solid profit center that continues to increase. Jacquelyn McClure BS, RRT, director of Lubbock, Texas-based The MED Group’s National Respiratory Network, says home oxygen and treatment for sleep-disordered breathing are the segments of the respiratory market that are bringing providers the most revenues, but adds that information technology is also making a strong impact. According to McClure, technologies that can replace routine activities to free up labor for complex problem-solving and assessment activities are on the rise. Baby boomers are moving into an age group or category where they are needing or requiring supplementary oxygen, says Ron Richard, Poway, Calif.-based…
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