WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare praised legislation to delay a new round of Medicare reimbursement cuts for rural and non-bid area home medical equipment providers that passed the House today. An amended version of the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 (H.R. 5210), passed through the House via voice vote Tuesday, includes the following provisions:
HomeCare News
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—Results are in from the most recent HME Audit Key survey. The latest round of results including ADRs from October 1, 2015 thru March 31, 2016, show the following:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturing companies—commended Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), David Loebsack (D-IA), Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and their colleagues in the United States House of Representatives, for passing the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act (H.R.
Jeff ShieldsWINTER HAVEN, Fla. (July 5, 2016)—3B Medical Products is happy to announce the addition of Jeff Shields to the staff as the new vice president of sales. Shields brings more than 30 years of HME manufacturer experience with him in management, sales and distribution.
BALL GROUND, Ga. (July 4, 2016)—CAIRE, Inc., a Chart Industries Company, has made major improvements to their AirSep FreeStyle and FreeStyle 5 portable oxygen concentrators.
Functionally, the power supply connections have been redesigned and will now feature a robust metal connector with no pins to align and no release button to press.
Physician Signature Worries Home Health Agencies in Pre-Claim Demo
With just more than one month before the start of CMS's Pre-Claim Review Demonstration for Home Health Services, agencies in the five-state pilot program are eagerly looking for clarification on compliance requirements. (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)
The staff at HomeCare would like to acknowledge the death of Edward Vishnevetsky, who passed away June 20, 2016, while on vacation in Costa Rica. He was a contributing writer for the magazine, whose depth and breadth of health care law knowledge educated readers for five-plus years in his Case Studies column—and beyond that, Edward was an accomplished attorney who headed the Dallas Health Law Practice at K&L Gates.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 30, 2016)—Advocacy group People for Quality Care is calling on HME providers to engage their patients in immediate advocacy. The organization joins the VGM Group, American Association for Homecare and state associations in a grassroots effort focused on garnering Congressional support for a joint solution to Medicare’s competitive bidding program by July 15.
MELBOURNE, Australia (June 30, 2016)—Point of Rental Software announced the integration of its rental management software products with Xero, a leader in cloud-based accounting software.
DALLAS (June 30, 2016)—Epic Health Services, Inc., a portfolio company of Webster Capital and Dallas-based provider of pediatric skilled nursing, therapy, developmental, enteral and respiratory services, announced today CEO Chris Roussos was honored as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 for the Southwest in the health category.
BOSTON (June 30, 2016)—Software firm Orbita, Inc., announced its partnership with Awrel, which recently unveiled a HIPAA-compliant mobile and web-based messaging application for quick, easy and secure communication and collaboration in the dental industry.
—via AAHomecare
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 30, 2016)—We’re just two days away from the second phase of bidding-derived cuts for rural and non-bid area suppliers. With the House currently out of session, there’s no chance of action before July 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—CMS announced Monday proposed changes to the Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2017 that would foster greater efficiency, flexibility, payment accuracy and improved quality. Approximately 3.4 million beneficiaries received home health services from approximately 11,400 home health agencies, costing Medicare approximately $17.8 billion in 2015.
ATLANTA (June 29, 2016)—The 2016 VGM Retail Science Roadshow rolls on with stops in Louisville, Kentucky (July 19) and Dallas (September 13)—with the final eight-hour show set for Medtrade in Atlanta.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2016)—On June 24, CMS issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and rates under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services furnished to beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2017. This rule also proposes new quality measures to improve the quality of care by dialysis facilities treating patients with end-stage renal disease.
CHICAGO, Ill. (June 28, 2016)—The international rehabilitation and care sector will meet again this year at REHACARE International 2016, Trade Fair with Congress & Forums, September 28–October 1 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. The event is sold out, and 950 exhibitors from 34 countries will present innovative products and services for self-determined living for people with disabilities or requiring care as well as seniors.
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 27, 2016)—Domtar Corporation has purchased the assets of Butterfly Health, Inc.
Butterfly body liners offer discreet, secure protection for accidental bowel leakage (ABL). “This product provides a unique solution to a problem that exists for roughly one out of 10 people. It represents a complementary addition to our portfolio of brands and technologies,” said Mike Fagan, president of Domtar Personal Care.
OLD FORGE, Penn. (June 27, 2016)—Golden Technologies announced they have been named as a bronze winner in the 37th Annual Telly Awards for their video piece titled “DayDreamer Yoga.” With more than 13,000 entries from 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.