industry

HME

  • Selling Support

    For home medical equipment providers interested in starting or expanding a beds and support surfaces business, there’s good news. The market is strong and growing, and well worth the investment, according to industry experts. At the same time, providers should not enter the beds and support surfaces market lightly. Experts caution providers to be prepared to do their homework — on the products, on strategic marketing and on the customers. Fiscal Growth… According to a 2001 report from market research firm Frost & Sullivan, the market for specialty beds and support surfaces for wound care will increase almost threefold by 2008, from $935.5 million in 2001 to $2.09 billion in 2008. Beds and support surfaces manufacturers are well aware of these numbers. Experts point to…
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  • Do You Snore?

    Until recently, most primary-care physicians had no idea that three simple words could change their approach to treating some of the nation’s top killers:
    Read More →: Do You Snore?

  • Latest HME News

  • Provider News Wire

    Financials: Apria Reports Annual Earnings: For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2002, Apria Healthcare of Lake Forest, Calif. reported a net income of
    Read More →: Provider News Wire

  • Luck or Pluck?

    American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect. The home medical equipment industry
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  • Top Products of 2002

    Each year, HomeCare publishes advertising and editorial copy about hundreds of home health care products. We also process thousands of reader requests for more information about these products. The results are in for 2002, and our readers’ choices — the top 25 products they asked to learn more about — appear in this edition of HomeCareXtra. The No. 1 item of interest in the magazine’s pages last year was AirSep’s portable oxygen concentrator, the LifeStyle, a product that also made the list for 2001. If you’re not among those who inquired about this product, here’s your chance to give it a second look. Echoing market trends, ambulatory aids, sleep products and bath safety products were of special interest to our readers. But their picks also…
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  • Is Retail the Answer?

    When you are fed up with the burden of working with Medicare, Medicaid and other third party payers, where do you turn? For many home medical equipment companies, retail is the answer. The idea of collecting cash up front is wonderful compared to completing the documentation required for third-party billing. For some, cash collections may mean meeting payroll. Moreover, it is far easier to train a retail clerk than to train a biller and a collector. So, why doesn’t everyone add retail to the business mix? From a practical perspective, many people do not turn to retail because the retail business is more difficult to operate than it appears. Why? Not only must retail salespeople have professional and courteous appearances, they also must be able…
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  • Balancing Act

    Last year, the four durable medical equipment regional carriers issued supplier-manual updates requiring home medical equipment suppliers, in certain circumstances such as pre-and post-pay audits, to submit physician progress notes to substantiate medical necessity for a particular claim. Then, in December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in its certificate of medical necessity submission to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, reported “suppliers and physicians will complete these [CMN] forms and as needed supply additional routine supporting documentation necessary to process claims.” To put it plainly, CMS and the DMERCs have placed the burden on DME suppliers to provide to the DMERCs copies of physician progress notes to determine whether the medical necessity criteria were met for a particular claim. The CMN…
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  • National News Wire

    Regulatory: CMS Publishes Contractor Standards: The Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Feb. 25 published an announcement in the Federal Register, describing the criteria whereby Medicare will evaluate its durable medical equipment regional carriers during 2003. “The results of [these] evaluations are considered whenever we enter into, renew or terminate a … DMEPOS regional carrier contract or take other contract actions,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wrote. Although the proposed standards — which include criteria for claims processing, customer service and fiscal responsibility — took effect March 3, CMS will accept comments on the standards until March 31. More information about these standards is available at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a030228c.html, under the CMS heading. FDA Publishes Device User-Fee Rates: The Feb. 28 Federal Register included…
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  • New Products

    Editor’s Choice: The Quantum Rehab Vibe Power Chair Rear-Wheel-Drive Power Wheelchair Call 800/800-8586. Web site: www.quantumrehab.com. Circle 500 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Altimate Medical/Stander Accessories XL Accessories for Ovation Strap Stand Call 800/342-8968. Web site: www.easystand.com. Circle 499 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. TiLite/Lightweight Wheelchair Evo Call 800/545-2266. Web site: www.tilite.com. Circle 498 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Camp Healthcare/Diabetic Sock DynaSock Call 800/492-1088. Web site: www.camphealthcare.com. Circle 497 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Johnson & Johnson/Independence Technology/Manual Assist Wheelchair iGlide Call 866/202-4475. Web site: www.iglidenow.com. Circle 496 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. KCI/Wound Dressings Round Foam and Thin Foam Dressings Call 888/275-4524. Web site: www.woundvac.com. Circle 495 or visit www.homecaremag.com for company information. Invacare/Walker Blue-Release Walker Call 800/333-6900….
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  • Staying Power

    To mark its 25th anniversary, HomeCare magazine honored six individuals who have provided distinguished service to the home medical equipment industry. Each recipient was chosen for his or her demonstrated commitment to the HME provider community and service to the entire HME industry. Scott Higley, vice president of sales for Quantum Rehab, a division of Exeter, Pa.-based Pride Mobility, is one of the six Caring Award recipients. A 20-year veteran of the HME industry, Higley knows the industry from top to bottom, and from the perspective of both provider and manufacturer. Recently, HomeCare talked to Higley about his career in home health care. HC: What has made you stay in the HME industry? Scott: I found that I had a passion for the industry. I…
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  • Why Bother?

    Welcome back to Compliance University! Today we apply fresh, new perspectives to The Question They Dare Not Ask: “Why should I bother?” In December, I established the premise that any home medical equipment provider without a working regulatory compliance program is, in effect, deciding that there is no need to bother with compliance. This phenomenon certainly is not limited to HME providers. Medical groups, ancillary service providers, long-term-care organizations and even hospitals continue to operate without compliance programs in place. Last time, I presented six reasons to bother with a compliance plan, focusing on staying out of trouble with the government. While these reasons certainly are important, too often they are the only issues that providers consider. In fact, there are at least 12 additional…
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  • Congressional Outlook

    With the prospect of war on the horizon, it is hard to be excited about watching what will unfold domestically in 2003. Nonetheless, a major part of our population will be focusing intently on Washington as President Bush attempts to address both domestic issues and international crises while initiating his own re-election campaign. The President’s Jan. 28 State of the Union address was one of the more interesting that I have witnessed. It was full of surprises — initiatives for developing a hydrogen-powered car, assisting those suffering from addiction and providing medicines to AIDS victims in Africa — balanced with strong and determined words about the situation in Iraq. The President seemed to say that the United States would provide compassionate assistance to those in…
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