WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2018)—On Friday, June 16, 2018, the Administration announced that Section 301 Tariffs on a range of products imported from China would move forward. Thanks in part to quick action by DME stakeholders, several product categories were among items removed from the original 1,333 items proposed for a 25 percent tariff levy.
HomeCare News
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2018)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking recommendations and input from the public on how to address any undue impact and burden of the physician self-referral law (also known as the Stark Law), focusing in part on how the law may impede care coordination, a key aspect of systems that deliver value.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. and DEERFIELD, Ill. (June 19, 2018)—Health and well-being company Humana Inc. and Walgreens, a provider of pharmacy services and care in communities since 1901, are teaming up to provide easier access to primary care and other services for seniors, as part of the companies’ ongoing and shared commitment to the health and well-being of the Kansas City community.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 19, 2018)—Organizers of Essentially Women’s annual conference, FOCUS: The EW Conference, are accepting presentation submissions from interested speakers.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (June 19, 2018)—The 2018 Virtual Conference, Turning Points: Mastering Transitions in Care, hosted by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association will be offered live via the Internet on July 18–19, 2018.
The virtual conference will feature:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2018)—The June 15 release of MedPAC’s report to Congress on Medicare and the health care delivery system represents another missed opportunity by the Commission to address the serious problems with Medicare’s competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) as well as the disastrous application of bidding-derived pricing to rural and other less-populous communities, stated the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare).
NEW YORK (June 18, 2018)—The Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation have selected John R. Burton, MD, as the recipient of the inaugural 2018 John A. Hartford Foundation Trustees Award for his decades of dedication to improving the care of older adults through his role as a geriatrics educator, researcher and clinician.
HARTFORD, Conn. (June 18, 2018)—Aetna released the results of its inaugural Health Ambitions Study, which explores consumers’ health goals and the relationship between consumers and providers in the evolving health care system. The study finds that people, particularly women, are paying attention to their holistic health, as they seek resources that better support both health and wellbeing.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 18, 2018)—The nomination period for the 2018 HME Woman of the Year is officially open.
Now in its third year, the award, sponsored by VGM, recognizes one woman in the industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community and the home medical equipment industry.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 17, 2018)—On June 15, 2018, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual report to Congress.
MedPAC is recommending that more products be included in the Medicare competitive bid program. There are three categories of products MedPAC believes should be included:
(1) Items that Congress has already authorized to be included (e.g., chest wall oscillation devices, ventilators and off-the shelf orthotics)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 15, 2018)—In an announcement shared in the CMS Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Center on June 12, and on Director Seema Verma’s Twitter, CMS is modifying its coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) supported by smartphone apps.
ATLANTA (June 15, 2018)—Brightree, a provider of cloud-based software helping post-acute care companies improve business performance and patient outcomes, announced the release of a new solution that allows home medical equipment (HME) providers to digitally receive orders from more than 62,000 providers using athenaClinicals within the athenahealth network, the same way doctors have long referred patients to other specialists.
TAVARES, FLA. (June 14, 2018)—Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care has received an Excellence in Program Innovation Award—Clinical Practice from the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) for its Nurse Onboarding Program. It is one of six hospice agencies across Florida to receive Awards of Excellence at the recent FHPCA 2016 Forum.
EXETER, Penn. (June 14, 2018)—Pride Mobility Products is pleased to announce that its Facebook page recently reached a retail-mobility industry first, achieving 10,000 followers.
With approximately 80 percent of seniors and baby boomers now using the internet, Pride’s Facebook page has seen unprecedented utilization and growth by consumers in the retail mobility segment, according to the company.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (June 13, 2018)—Bonafide Management Systems announced a complete integration with the customer service cloud solution from Zendesk. With Zendesk, Bonafide offers its customers fast response times and customer support. Additional advantages of the solution are its extensive reporting capabilities and integrated knowledge base.
CHICAGO (June 13, 2018)—Linden Capital Partners has acquired Solara Medical Supplies, a direct-to-patient distributor of diabetes therapy products including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.
Solara Medical was founded in 2002 by Tod Robinson and is headquartered in Chula Vista, Califorina, with additional offices in Michigan, Texas and Alabama (solaramedicalsupplies.com).
WASHINGTON, D.C. and LONDON (June 13, 2018)—BPR Medical has welcomed the Veterans Administration (VA) decision to mandate the use of thermal fuses—also known as firebreaks—in all its home oxygen patient installations.
CINCINNATI (June 13, 2018)—FirstLight Home Care, a provider of non-medical homecare, has been named by Forbes as one of the best franchises to own in the United States.
RENTON, Wash. (June 13, 2018)—Medicaid provides health coverage for 1 in 5 Americans, and, while 63 percent of the population says it is important, positive opinion of the program increases dramatically when people learn more, according to the latest national survey from Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH).
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (June 12, 2018)—Omnicell, Inc., announced the results of the STOMPP (Study to Measure the Impact of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Services on Medication Non-Adherence) clinical study. This randomized controlled trial compares the use of adherence medication packaging and medication therapy management (MTM) services to the use of traditional pill bottles.