SEATTLE (November 10, 2016)—The Veterans Aid and Attendance (A&A) Pension, an allowance for veterans and their spouses to help pay for senior living and homecare, is anticipated to undergo changes concerning eligibility requirements in 2017. A Place for Mom (APFM), the nation’s largest senior living referral service, helps more than 200,000 families find the right senior care solution each year.
HomeCare News
EXETER, Penn. (November 9, 2016)—Quantum Rehab is pleased to announce that its revolutionary, patented iLevel power-adjustable seat height technology has now been embraced by over 5,000 users.
Officially launched in July 2015, iLevel elevates the seat up to 10 inches, while simultaneously stabilizing the power wheelchair via Extra Stability Technology, allowing full functionality at walking height and speeds up to 3.5 mph for empowered independence and complete inclusion.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (November 4, 2016)—ARI Network Services, Inc. announced that it has acquired Auction123, Inc., a provider of software and services to help dealers in selected vertical markets manage and feed inventory information to online marketplaces to drive more sales and leads. Auction123 serves several vertical markets including automotive, powersports, recreational vehicles and marine. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
FORT WORTH, Texas (November 4, 2016)—Numotion, a provider of complex rehab technology (CRT), has acquired Home Medical Equipment (HME) of Texas to extend its reach and capacity in the state. In business locally for more than 20 years, HME of Texas is a privately owned medical equipment company based in Fort Worth, Texas, that serves the entire state.
ATLANTA (November 3, 2016)—ResMed announced two enhancements to AirView, a cloud-based remote patient monitoring platform that enables care teams to securely access therapy data from three million sleep apnea and respiratory care patients every day.
ATLANTA (November 3, 2016)—ResMed introduced this week at Medtrade 2016 the AirFit N20 nasal mask and AirFit F20 full face mask for positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment of sleep apnea. Loaded with innovations designed to improve mask fit, comfort and ease of use, the new-generation ResMed masks are the result of more than three years of research and development.
LENEXA, Kan. (November 3, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc., a provider of comprehensive post-acute health care software, announces the release of CareTend Anywhere, its latest mobile software technology that allows users access to CareTend functionality from any location and device. This mobile technology adds flexibility for staff, who will be able to manage patient data, deliveries and track information in real time.
ATLANTA (November 3, 2016)—Several manufacturers earned awards at the recently concluded Medtrade.
The top three vote getters in the biannual Innovative HME Retail Product Awards, sponsored by HomeCare Magazine, were:
ATLANTA (November 2, 2016)—At the “show within a show” on day one of Medtrade, a series of speakers shared specific business solutions at the day-long Brightree Summit.
During her hour-long presentation, Jennifer Leon, vice president, Brightree Patient Collections, pointed out: “Red Box requires a credit card for a $1.50 movie, so why do you send out expensive equipment without securing it similar to the way Red Box does?”
ATLANTA (November 2, 2016)—Day three at Medtrade got off to an optimistic start with United States Representative Tom Price, M.D. (R-Ga) telling attendees that there was a “significant possibility that we can get a year’s delay [on bid expansion] starting January 1, 2017.”
AMSTERDAM, and ATLANTA, Ga. (November 2, 2016)—At this year’s Medtrade Fall, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia from October 31–November 3, Philips Respironics, a division of Royal Philips will showcase its portfolio of integrated connected care software, solutions and services that aim to provide greater value to durable medical equipment (DME) providers and increase patient adherence to therapy.
ATLANTA (November 1, 2016)—Judges and attendees at the biannual Innovative HME Retail Product Awards, sponsored by HomeCare Magazine, have tabulated the top three vote getters on day two of Medtrade.
ATLANTA (November 1, 2016)—Dr. Kirsten Davin has been selected as the winner of the inaugural HME Woman of the Year award.
The award was presented to Davin at a special award ceremony held at the Medtrade Home Medical Equipment Conference and Expo. She was one of four finalists (out of 37 nominees) selected to travel to Atlanta to attend the conference, VGM-sponsored events and the special award presentation.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (November 1, 2016)—Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare introduced an extended power mobility warranty on all its scooters and power chairs, providing a best‐in‐industry warranty.
Effective November 1, all new scooter and power chair purchases from Drive DeVilbiss will have:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 31, 2016)—CMS issued a final rule last week, covering end-stage renal care and changes to the DME competitive bidding program. Provisions of interest to the home medical equipment community include:
Bid Ceilings—Bid ceilings for future rounds will be based on the 2015 fee unadjusted fee schedule, instead of CMS's earlier proposal to establish bid ceilings at the current CBA pricing.
NAHC to File Lawsuit to Stop Pre-Claim
A national association is striking back against the “failed” Pre-Claim Review Demonstration (PCRD) with a plan to file a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)
NEW YORK and AUSTIN, Texas (October 28, 2016)—eMDs, a provider of ambulatory electronic medical records (EMR), practice management (PM) software, revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions and credentialing services, announced a strategic partnership with Provider Web Capital, the leading finance provider for health care small businesses, to offer clients access to the industry’s best financial solutions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 27, 2016)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the inclusion of Veterans Administration (VA) hospital performance data. The VA hospital performance data can be found via a link on Hospital Compare, here.
BOSTON (October 27, 2016)—Orbita unveiled last week the industry’s first HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based solution designed specifically to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of connected home health care. Organizations using the Orbita platform can easily create, manage and deliver practical digital home healthcare applications that improve medical outcomes and reduce health care costs for individuals with chronic and post-acute care needs.