BUFFALO, N.Y. — Invacare Corp. lost a member of its team Feb. 12 in the crash of Flight 3407.
HomeCare News
Cigna Government Services, the Jurisdiction C DME MAC, has posted updated oxygen frequently asked questions on its Web site. The Jurisdiction C DME MAC will also host several oxygen Webinars March 2, March 3 and March 12.
A study published in the February 2009 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care documents the cost-effectiveness of long-term oxygen therapy.
Last week Lincare reported revenues of $415.1 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, a 1 percent increase over $412.3 million for the same quarter in 2007. Net income was $58.2 million compared to $57.6 million. Revenues for 2008 were $1.665 billion, a 4 percent increase over $1.596 billion in 2007.
ResMed, Poway, Calif., has reported record-breaking financial results for the quarter and six months ended Dec. 31. Revenue for the 2008 quarter was $223 million, a 10 percent increase over the same quarter in 2007. Net income was $33.9 million, an increase of 26 percent.
Atlanta-based Sensiotec has received FDA 510(k) Class II clearance for its ultra-wideband (UWB) non-contact, continuous monitor for heart and respiration rates. The device, Preventa, will be marketed and sold in the U.S. and Canada.
Waterloo, Iowa-based VGM Group has postponed its series, "Competitive Bidding Round 1.2: The Rules Have Changed," originally scheduled to begin in March. The nine sessions, which were planned throughout the country this spring, have been put on hold because of a delay in the competitive bidding interim final rule until April 18.
HHS has released two final rules that it said will facilitate the nation's transition to an electronic health care environment. The first final rule replaces the ICD-9 code sets with greatly expanded ICD-10 codes. The compliance date is Oct. 1, 2013. The second final rule adopts an updated standard for certain electronic health care and pharmacy transactions. View a PDF of the ICD-10 rule.
The Jurisdiction A (NHIC) Medical Review department has released the results of a widespread prepay probe for glucose supplies covering HCPCS codes A4253, A4258 and A4259. A total of 17,988 claims were reviewed from August through December 2008, and of those, more than 65 percent were denied.
Shifting the financing of care for beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid to the Medicare program could save states as much as $47 billion and create new opportunities for improved care management and coordination, according to "Rethinking Medicaid's Financing Role for Medicare Enrollees," a Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief.
Defendant Alfredo F. Lopez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in orchestrating a multi-million-dollar health care fraud and money-laundering scheme. According to a statement from U.S. Attorney R.
GERMANTOWN, Wis. — ALC Inc., a Wisconsin-based lift chair manufacturer, has announced the formation of an HME delivery company that projects sales exceeding $167 million and EBITDA of $16 million by the end of 2013.
LOUDON, Tenn. — The former medical director of the Statistical Analysis Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier said this week that in some DME categories — such as orthotics, prosthetics and wheelchairs — as much as 40 percent of the Medicare funds were paid to fraudulent suppliers. And, he said, some manufacturers have contributed to the problem.
STATEMENT
of the
Honorable Heath Shuler, Chair
Subcommittee on Rural & Urban Entrepreneurship of the
House Committee on Small Business
Hearing on the
"The Impact of Competitive Bidding on Small Businesses in the
Durable Medical Equipment Community"
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
WASHINGTON — At a congressional hearing yesterday, Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., called for an end to national competitive bidding.
ARLINGTON, Va. — At a Tuesday press conference with national media, the American Association for Homecare said it would put its 13-point anti-fraud plan before Congress — again.
Unveiled in October in the middle of the election, the plan didn't "resonate the way it should," AAHomecare President Tyler Wilson told reporters. So the association is rolling it out again to make sure Congress gets the message.
WASHINGTON — Some 200 home care advocates are massing on Capitol Hill today to urge members of Congress to repeal the 36-month oxygen rental cap and permanently table competitive bidding.
WASHINGTON — In a Feb. 9 letter addressed to House leaders and members of key committees, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., asked his colleagues for help in urging CMS to set adequate payments for oxygen after the 36-month cap period. He also asked them to consider further congressional action on the matter should it be necessary.
"Without immediate changes to the Medicare oxygen policies, patient care will be compromised and Medicare costs will increase," the letter read.
BALTIMORE — CMS has announced it is asking for comments as the agency considers a delay of the effective date for its competitive bidding interim final rule. Issued in the waning hours of the Bush administration, the effective date for the rule was set 30 days after its Jan. 16 publication in the Federal Register. In documentation sent to Capitol Hill offices Friday, CMS listed that implementation date as Feb. 17.
ATLANTA — Members of a newly formed oxygen coalition sifted through provisions of several plans last week looking for common ground on reform of Medicare's oxygen benefit and repeal of the 36-month rental cap.