WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2, 2020)— The Senate cleared legislation to extend the deadline for businesses to apply for coronavirus aid under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), hours before the aid package was set to expire.
The bill passed with unanimous consent, and extends the deadline for applying for PPP loans to Aug. 8, 2020.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2, 2020)—The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau directed the Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers the FCC’s Rural Health Care Program, to carry forward up to $197.98 million in unused funds from prior funding years to the extent necessary to satisfy funding year 2020 demand for the program.
GILBERT, Ariz. (July 2, 2020)—SYNERGY HomeCare, a national in-home care organization, has launched an educational campaign about a technique called “benevolent probing” that can assist adult children in determining if their parents could benefit from homecare assistance in order to retain their independence.
ASHEVILLE, N.C., (July 2, 2020)—Aeroflow Healthcare, a nationwide provider of durable medical equipment (DME), announced a donation of $10,000 to the Junior League of Charleston Diaper Bank.
Eau Claire, Wis. (July 2, 2020)—SMARTcare Software, inc., announced completion of its latest funding round led by the Idea Fund and Rock River Capital with participation from Pablo Capital, MUKC Fund I, and the Chippewa Valley Angels Investment Network. The additional investment will further support SMARTcare’s transformative home care software platform as the company continues its market expansion with its leadership role in caregiver engagement.
HARTFORD, Conn. (July 1, 2020)—CareCentrix, a provider of tech-enabled post-acute and home-based solutions, is expanding its service offering to Managed Medicaid health plans, and has hired Scott Markovich to serve as the company’s General Manager of Medicaid.
Updated July 22, 2020
Shortly after receiving this award, David Evans passed away. BOC’s President & CEO, Claudia Zacharias, issued this statement to acknowledge his passing:
“We were deeply saddened to hear of Dave’s passing just two days after we announced his selection as BOC’s first Certificant of the Year,” says Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE, BOC’s president and CEO. “His lifelong passion for helping others inspires us all.”
DALLAS, Texas (July 1, 2020)—Homecare Homebase (HCHB), a software provider for home-based care, has announced a new partnership with CipherHealth, a provider of health care engagement software, to offer exceptional patient outreach for the growing home health and hospice industry.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (July 1, 2020)—Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited announced today that F&P Evora, a nasal mask for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has received regulatory clearance for use in the United States.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 1, 2020)—The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed home health rule for calendar year (CY) 2021, outlining how the permanent home infusion therapy services benefit will be implemented, starting in January 2021.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2020)—More than 82% of home health providers reported revenue reductions in May, according to a new national survey of home health agencies conducted from early-to-mid June 2020.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 30, 2020)—The pandemic has changed the face of home medical equipment retail. From social distancing to your employees needing personal protective equipment, serving your community is more difficult than ever.
VGM recently released a Reopening Guide for HME providers. The reopening guide includes checklists for training employees on proper, hygine, PPE safety, setting up social distancing in your store, and more.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2020)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) recently met with TRICARE East contractor Humana Military on a range of issues, including implementation of new reimbursement rates authorized by COVID-19 relief legislation, the CARES Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2020)—On May 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servics (CMS) published the second Interim Final Rule (IFR) that provided further relief and clarification for health care providers during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Specifically for DMEPOS, the IFR included the following provisions:
ATLANTA (June 26, 2020)—With Medtrade scheduled for Nov. 2-4, 2020 in Atlanta, familiar SmartSaver rates are now in effect. SmartSaver rates are the absolute lowest rates attendees can get.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2020)—The preview of the CY 2021 home health proposed rule, Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2021 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; and Home Infusion Therapy Services Requirements, has been posted.
WASHINTON, D.C. (June 25, 2020)—AAHomecare has joined 17 other major health care provider organizations seeking to fix a taxation penalty embedded in the CARES Act. Without congressional action, many providers will lose more than a fifth of the grant funds approved by Congress to help health care providers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oklahoma City (June 24, 2020)—Local entrepreneurs looking to run a business that makes a difference in the lives of families across Oklahoma will soon have to look no further. BrightStar Care, a national franchise specializing in providing care in medical and non-medical in-home care services, has announced targeted development plans throughout the state of Oklahoma.
By Mark Lind
ATLANTA (June 23, 2020)—Many have asked about the look and feel of Medtrade, scheduled for Nov. 2-4, 2020, at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta. If the show goes off as planned, and that’s still the goal, there’s no doubt the vibe will be different. Traditional embraces and handshakes, for example, may be replaced by elbow bumps and waves. There may be widespread mask wearing, so facial recognition could be a bit trickier.
