(November 1, 2018)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Market Saturation and Utilization Data Tool is one of many tools used to monitor and manage market saturation as a means to help prevent potential fraud, waste and abuse. It also assists health care providers in making informed decisions about their service locations and the beneficiary population they serve.
HomeCare News
(November 1, 2018)—For home health agencies, beginning with calendar year (CY) 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) will implement a new case-mix system called the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) that puts the focus on patient needs rather than volume of care.
AMSTERDAM (October 30, 2018)—Royal Philips, a provider of health technology, announced the U.S. launch of InnoSpire Go, Philips’ smallest and lightest portable hand-held nebulizer system designed to deliver medication in just four minutes, reducing treatment time by up to 25 percent. The easy-to-use and virtually silent InnoSpire Go puts hospital-grade nebulizer technology into the hands of the user for portable, fast and effective medication delivery.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (OCTOBER 30, 2018)—Aeroflow Healthcare announced that Michelle Worley has been named manager of its new Pulmonary Unit.
Formerly Aeroflow’s Sleep division, Aeroflow Pulmonary incorporates more health care products and services, such as ventilation and AffloVest mobile airway clearance therapy. This allows Aeroflow to provide an enhanced quality of care for current and future patients, and more quickly provide them with the necessary medical equipment.
NEW YORK (October 29, 2018)—The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing a $6.1 million grant to study a program designed to bring effective care to people with dementia receiving hospice care. The two-phase, five-year grant will fund the first large-scale clinical trial of people with dementia in hospice and their caregivers.
CHICAGO (October 29, 2018)—The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM), a professional organization for physicians, nurse practitioners and other providers of home-based primary care (HBPC), announced the release of a digital toolkit of educational resources to help payers and providers understand how HBPC significantly improves quality and reduces costs for more than two million seriously ill and home-limited older adults.
DURYEA, Penn. (October 25, 2018)—Pride Mobility Products and Quantum Rehab offered approximately 20 Luzerne Intermediate Unit (LIU) 18 students with disabilities an opportunity to be mentored by career professionals in various fields during Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) 2018 on Thursday, October 18 at the company’s Duryea facility.
CINCINNATI (October 25, 2018)—FirstLight Home Care, a national provider of non-medical homecare, was listed by Franchise Business Review as one of the Top 100 Franchises for Veterans and one of the 100 Most Innovative Franchises for 2018.
(October 24, 2018)—Former commissioner of Maine Department of Health and Human and Services (DHHS), Mary Mayhew, has been tapped by the Trump administration as the deputy administrator for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services.
BOSTON (October 23, 2018)—To enhance its PGHDConnect platform, Partners Connected Health announced the launch of a new patient-facing mobile app that allows patients to easily and securely share personal health data with their care team from a larger selection of consumer health devices, including activity trackers, wearables, sensors and remote monitoring devices.
HARTFORD, Conn. (October 23, 2018)—CareCentrix announced that it has earned URAC accreditation in Health Utilization Management. URAC promotes health care quality through accreditation, certification and measurement. By achieving this status, CareCentrix has demonstrated a comprehensive commitment to quality care, improved processes and better patient outcomes.
(October 23, 2018)—GreatCall Inc. has announced a 5-year agreement with Senior Whole Health of Massachusetts, a Magellan Health Company, to provide in-home passive monitoring services for high-risk seniors through GreatCall's Lively Home monitoring system.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 23, 2018)—Citing “strong support from the supplier community” as well as initial success in DME MAC Jurisdictions C and D, CMS announced expansion of the Telephone Discussions & Re-Openings Demonstration into Jurisdictions A and B, starting November 1, 2018.
SAN BRUNO, Calif. (October 23, 2018)—CareLinx, the online homecare service platform, today announced it has partnered with Stride, the benefits platform for gig and independent workers, to offer its more than 300,000 caregivers access to simple, affordable health, dental, vision and life insurance.
CHULA VISTA, Calif. (October 23, 2018)—Solara Medical Supplies (Solara), a direct-to-patient supplier of advanced diabetic devices, including continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps and other supplies for the intensively managed diabetic, announced the appointment of Aaron Heisler as chief financial officer, Joel Yerton as vice president of managed markets, and Jonathan Zalk as vice president of marketing.
ATLANTA (October 19, 2018)—Chart Industries, Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to divest its oxygen-related products business within its BioMedical segment to NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. (NGK Spark Plug) for $133.5 million. The sale is expected to close within the fourth quarter of 2018, following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory requirements.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (October 18, 2018)—Family & Nursing Care, a resource for in-home care services for older adults, celebrates half a century in business in 2018 with an office move, service area expansion, leadership transition, and a series of events for key stakeholders. The company cites a focus on expanding services to low-income families through its Family & Nursing Care Foundation, which partners with stakeholders in the community, as part of the recent developments.
MCKINNEY, Texas (October 18, 2018)—Soleo Health, a provider of specialty infusion services, announced the appointment of Ron Lindahl to the post of chief operating officer.
WATERLOO, Iowa (October 18, 2018)—VGM is now accepting proposals from prospective speakers for its annual Heartland Conference.
With eight education tracks to fill, conference organizers are looking for presenters to offer their expertise on a variety of topics, including business leadership and management, retail, sleep and respiratory, rehab, operations, sales and marketing, home accessibility, technology and regulatory.
ATLANTA (October 18, 2018)—Medtrade organizers tallied attendee votes for the New Product Pavilion Providers’ Choice Awards, sponsored by HomeCare Magazine, on the final day of Medtrade.