industry

HME

  • Grassley’s DME Cuts Don’t Make the Cut

    Washington Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has made no secret of the fact that rural health reimbursements are his top priority. Last month, he kept a promise to introduce legislation to help rural Medicare providers “at every opportunity.” But Grassley’s plan came at a cost — and, under the provisions of a recent amendment, the durable medical equipment industry was slated to bear some of that cost. Not waiting for a health-care-related bill to come along, Grassley added a $25 billion rural health care amendment to the Senate’s tax bill, and included two DME cuts to offset the expense. The first cut would freeze consumer-price-index increases for DME for 10 years. The second would reduce reimbursements for Medicare Part B drugs, from 95…
    Read More →: Grassley’s DME Cuts Don’t Make the Cut

  • AAHomecare Picks New President

    Alexandria, Va. At Medtrade Spring last month, the American Association for Homecare announced that Kay Cox will replace Tom Connaughton as president of AAHomecare, effective June 1. Cox, who has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry, most recently worked as vice president of the Washington office and political action committee of Beverly Enterprises, a $2.4 billion company that operates skilled nursing facilities nationwide. More information about Cox, and a message from Cox herself, appear in HomeCare‘s Medtrade Report, beginning on page 30. For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.
    Read More →: AAHomecare Picks New President

  • Latest HME News

  • Rotech Raid Sparks Speculation, Concern

    Orlando, Fla. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation April 30 raided Rotech’s headquarters in Orlando, as well as company offices in Maine, New York, Arkansas and Illinois, according to WFTV, an Orlando television station. Approximately 50 agents took part in the Orlando raid, removing “boxes and boxes of documents,” WFTV reported. One day later, Rotech released a statement confirming the raids and explaining that the company does not know the reason for the investigation. “The company is cooperating fully with the investigation,” the statement said. “However, [Rotech] has not been informed by the government of the subject matter of the inquiry.” Federal investigations are not new for the HME giant. Last March, Rotech paid $17 million to settle allegations that, between 1995 and 2000,…
    Read More →: Rotech Raid Sparks Speculation, Concern

  • Seating & Positioning

    Invacare/Pressure-Reduction Support Cushions Infinity Series Call 800/333-6900. Web site: www.invacare.com Circle 444 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Sunrise Medical/Wheelchair Back Jay Precision Back Call 800/333-4000. Web site: www.sunrisemedical.com Circle 439 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Convaid/Positioning Wheelchair Cruiser Ready Call 888/266-8243. Web site: www.convaid.com Circle 448 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Varilite/Pressure-Relief Support Cushion Evolution Call 800/827-4548. Web site: www.varilite.com Circle 449 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Freedom Designs/Tilt-In-Space Folding Wheelchair Gizmo Tilt-in-Space Call 800/331-8551. Web site: www.freedomdesigns.com Circle 446 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Leisure-Lift/Power Wheelchair Scout Boss with Rehab Seat Call 800/255-0285. Web site: www.pacesaver.com Circle 445 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Sammons Preston/Seating System Leckey Advance Seating System Call 800/323-5547. Web site: www.sammonspreston.com Circle 447 or…
    Read More →: Seating & Positioning

  • Legislative Lowdown

    Las Vegas Some of Medtrade Spring’s most popular conferences covered legislative and regulatory topics, explaining the prospects for national competitive bidding, the status of “inherent reasonableness” regulations and the progress of state licensure laws. Attendees filled the chairs, lined the walls and sat on the floor at the American Association for Homecare’s legislative update conference. Following are summaries of a few of the legislative and regulatory subjects that AAHomecare staff members discussed: DME Competitive Bidding — Tom Connaughton, AAHomecare’s president, said the home care industry was fortunate to escape DME competitive bidding last year, after President Bush’s 2003 budget and a successful bill in the House of Representatives touted the system as a viable way for the federal government to save money. There are many…
    Read More →: Legislative Lowdown

  • AAHomecare Names New President

    Las Vegas Kay Cox will replace Tom Connaughton as president of AAHomecare, effective June 1, the association announced last month at Medtrade Spring. Cox most recently served as vice president of the Washington office and political action committee of Beverly Enterprises, a $2.4 billion company that operates skilled nursing facilities nationwide. Since March 21, when Connaughton announced his decision to resign, the association has considered 26 candidates and interviewed seven finalists to fill his shoes, according to Steve Knoll, the association’s outgoing chairman. Prior to her Beverly position, Cox was president and chief executive officer of a health care consulting group, where she advised providers on public policy issues, the association said. Before that, she coordinated federal contracts with such government agencies as the Department…
    Read More →: AAHomecare Names New President

  • An Honor and a Privilege

    As many of you know, this month I will be leaving my position as president and chief executive officer of the American Association for Homecare. The past three years have been among the most interesting, challenging and satisfying years in my professional career. Throughout this period, I have been inspired by home care providers’ passion for and commitment to providing patients with the highest-quality products and services. It absolutely amazes me that providers can remain focused on their patients in light of all that goes on around them. Home care providers cannot survive simply by addressing patient needs. However, some federal and state government officials do not understand what it takes to provide patients with quality care, and these individuals continue to look for ways…
    Read More →: An Honor and a Privilege

  • The Right HME Stuff

    Ever hear the one about the home medical equipment deliveryman who simply left the oxygen concentrator on the end-user’s front porch and drove off? How about the tale of the temp who picked up the phone but, unable to answer any of the caller’s questions, finally told the customer to call back in three days? Then there was the customer service representative who responded to a caller asking if the manager was in by saying only, “No.” These are just a few of the horror stories of the HME business, tales from the trenches of staffing and training gone wrong. Such incidents, say industry consultants and providers, can slice into profits by undermining your reputation, increasing the number of after-hours and emergency calls and driving…
    Read More →: The Right HME Stuff

  • The Fruits of His Labor

    Dennis Sharpe’s duties as national sales manager for MK Battery aren’t any less demanding just because he works from his home in the fertile wine valleys of California. Approximately 50 times each year, he takes off in a twin-prop airplane from the Paso Robles municipal airport to visit sales associates and attend industry events across the country. Sharpe has been intimately involved in outfitting people with mobility equipment for 29 years, and for that, HomeCare honors him with a Caring Award. In 1986, when MK Battery was located in a converted doughnut shop, Sharpe joined the Anaheim, Calif.-based company. Since then, he has seen MK Battery grow from two to 20 warehouses in the United States, and several more in Canada and the United Kingdom….
    Read More →: The Fruits of His Labor

  • Tools of the Trade

    When it comes to building a home medical equipment business, it pays to have the right tools. No, we’re not talking wheelchairs and oxygen concentrators here — we’re talking about financing and protecting your company as it grows. The choices HME providers make in obtaining loans, leasing equipment and taking out insurance can help construct a firm business foundation — one that experts say can be the difference between success and failure. But understanding your options in these areas can be complicated and confusing. What, for example, is the best way to fund expansion? When should a provider lease equipment? Which insurance coverage is must-have and what is optional? For answers to these and other questions, HomeCare sought advice from industry professionals and successful providers….
    Read More →: Tools of the Trade

  • No Question

    Last year, I was attending a national meeting when, during a question and answer period, a gentleman from the audience asked, “If I pay my state association dues and I pay my national association dues, why do I have to write letters and make phone calls?” At first, I was taken aback by what I thought was a question with such an obvious answer. After all, I had just completed two years as vice president of the Florida Association of Medical Equipment Services and was finishing up my first year as president. And here was this man asking, essentially, what have these associations done for me? To me, the answer was clear. Associations offer support, advocacy, and in some cases, protection for their members. Such…
    Read More →: No Question

  • Going, Going Here to Stay

    The market for respiratory products is seeing renewed interest from home medical equipment providers. New high-tech, streamlined products designed to improve patients’ health and providers’ bottom lines are changing the way the industry views respiratory care. Experts say the fastest-growing segment in the category is the sleep market. John Frank, vice president of marketing for Respironics’ homecare division, says the market for products designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea is growing from 18 to 20 percent a year, exceeding growth in the oxygen market by more than 10 percent. “Over 15 million people in the United States have some form of a sleep disorder, and when you look at the number of people treated, which is only 10 to 15 percent, there is a very…
    Read More →: Going, Going Here to Stay

OUR DIGITAL PARTNERS

trending

From Our Partners