Birmingham, ALABAMA—A new report released last month by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) found that Medicare spending for patients who received hospice care was some $3.5 billion less than it would if they had not gotten that care. HomeCare talked with NAHC President Bill Dombi about the report and why getting Americans on board with hospice is so important.
IRVINE, California—Masimo announced that Masimo Opioid Halo, an opioid overdose prevention and alert system, has been granted a De Novo by the FDA, making it the first and only FDA-cleared monitoring solution for detecting opioid-induced respiratory depression, the leading cause of death from opioid overdose. With the De Novo, Masimo also becomes the first winner of an FDA Opioid Innovation Challenge to have an authorized solution designed to help solve the U.S. opioid crisis.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Rate Announcement that finalized payment policies for these programs. According to HHS, the final policies in the Rate Announcement aim to improve payment accuracy and ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent.
HOUSTON—Two Houston residents—Caroline Zamora, 63, and Rommel Zmora, 59—are set to appear on allegations in an $8.7 million fraud scheme connected to a home health company they jointly owned and operated, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
HOUSTON—A 63-year-old Sugar Land resident has been ordered to prison for conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
NASHVILLE, Tennesse—National Seating & Mobility (NSM), a provider of complex rehabilitation technology, mobility and accessibility solutions in North America announced the appointment of health care industry veteran Brady Shirley to the NSM Board of Directors.
DALLAS—Securing better reimbursement rates and moving to new technologies like eprescribing are the top priorities for home medical equipment (HME)advocates in 2023, industry leaders said March 30 at Medtrade, the country’s largest HME conference and tradeshow.
AKRON, Ohio—ACU-Serve, an end-to-end revenue cycle management company, announced the company has signed an agreement with Nymbl Systems, software solutions that aim to deliver better business outcomes for those who enable better health and mobility. The two companies are working together to fill the void for purpose-built automation systems that meet the uniquely complex billing and business management requirements of complex rehab therapy (CRT) providers.
Washington, D.C.—In response to a requirement of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) presented data used to determine Medicare home health payment rates for calendar year (CY) 2023, including the permanent and temporary rate adjustments calculated under the Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) “budget neutrality” requirements.
DALLAS—A light mobility deice that works as both a wheelchair and rollator took the top award in a close vote at Medtrade's New Product Pavilion on March 30.
PALM BEACH, Florida—Family-owned and operated ComForCare Senior Services of Palm Beach, a private-duty non-medical home health agency, has acquired a major position and operating control of the existing ComForCare operations in Broward and Dade counties. This new partnership will bring ComForcare Home Care’s South Florida operations to a total of seven territories with the team now servicing clients from North Miami to Vero Beach.
NEW YORK—HHAeXchange, a provider of homecare management solutions for state Medicaid agencies, managed care organizations and providers, announced the company has been selected by the Michigan Depart
DALLAS, Texas—InfuseFlow announced it will release its Magnolia (InfuseFlow v3.6) software which it hopes to be a game-changer for infusion care delivery with the introduction of its second-generation workflow engine. According to InfuseFlow, this platform supports rapidly deploying customized workflows, document types and care templates.
WHITMORE LAKE, Michigan—Trace Medical, the national leader in advanced respiratory rentals and biomedical services based in Whitmore Lake, Michigan and Van G. Miller & Associates (VGM) based in Waterloo, Iowa, have executed an exclusive program agreement to provide advanced respiratory rentals and biomedical services to the entire VGM membership of 3,000 home medical equipment (HME) providers with nearly 7,000 locations.
Washington, D.C.—The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis in developing an adequate workforce of homecare aides and nurses to care for the country’s burgeoning elderly and disabled population. It is estimated that between 2020 and 2030, the number of U.S. citizens 85 years of age or older will double, from the current 2.4 million. Such growth in the U.S. aged population exacerbates the current shortage of caregivers that over 12 million Americans of all ages rely on today.
OLD FORGE, Pennsylvania—Golden Technologies announced it launched two new lightweight foldable power wheelchairs, further expanding its current line of mobility products. Golden Technologies' new products include the GP301 Stride aluminum folding power wheelchair and the GP302 Cricket carbon fiber folding power wheelchair.
ATLANTA—Kit Shellhouse, formerly of ECS North and ACU-Serve, has joined The van Halem Group, a division
of VGM Group, as the director of business development.
With her client-focused approach and more than 20 years of experience in the HME industry, her duties will
include managing key partnerships, generating new clientele and fostering relationships while building The
van Halem Group brand.
OLD FORGE, Pennsylvania—Golden Technologies announced it will showcase new products in both the power lift recliner and mobility divisions at Medtrade, the home medical equipment industry’s largest trade show, in Dallas, Texas, on March 29 and 30. The introduction of new technology and comfort features at the show will help retailers discover new ways to drive cash sales with profit-producing products.
FRISCO, Texas—Soleo Health, a national provider of complex specialty pharmacy services, announced the appointment of Chief Executive Officer Drew Walk to the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) 2023-2024 Board of Directors.
TROY, Michigan—ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, was named one of the 2023 Best Workplaces by Great Place To Work in the United States and Canada. This marks the third consecutive year ComForCare has earned this certification in the U.S. and the second year in a row in Canada.
