CARY, N.C. (August 13, 2015)—Accreditation Commission for Health Care’s Sleep Accreditation program recently received acceptance by Highmark Health, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Effective beginning August 2015, the approval by Highmark Health permits ACHC-accredited sleep providers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia to access the network.
HomeCare News
New research published in Journal for Clinical Sleep Medicine offers new hope to health systems struggling to meet 30-day COPD readmissions standards.
The study from Barnes Healthcare Services determined a COPD patient management program including non-invasive ventilators and an in-home care program reduced the readmission rate by 97 percentduring the subsequent 12 months.
PHOENIX (August 7, 2015)—The Arizona Medical Equipment Suppliers Association (AZMESA) continued to show its growing strength this past week with record attendance at its highest rated 2015 AZMESA Conference held in Phoenix on August 6th, and with the addition of four new members in the last month growing its membership for the fifth consecutive year.
Oklahoma City, Okla. (July 30, 2015)—BOK Financial Capital Corporation is pleased to announce that it has closed on a strategic investment with O2 Concepts, a leading manufacturer of portable oxygen concentrators.
SANDWICH, Mass. (August 13, 2015)—Cape Medical Supply has been named to the INC 5000 list of the fastest growing privately held companies in America for the sixth time. Claiming number 4,003 this year, the company has experienced 73% revenue growth over the past three years, adding 25 new jobs and continuing to expand its geographic reach.
ATLANTA (August 6, 2015)—Medtrade is the main event for HME providers looking for education and inspiration to end the year with vigor, and prepare for the new year to come. Two new networking events further that goal by allowing attendees to learn lessons from colleagues and make new friends.
LOS ANGELES (August 05, 2015)—The executive team at Dynamic Healthcare Software Inc. has released MD Connect service for bflow DME billing software, allowing physician offices to enter a patient’s demographics and create an order for the patient directly into a DME’s bflow billing portal. This new feature allows DMEs and their referral sources to work closely together to expedite the delivery of a patient’s equipment and supplies.
ATLANTA (August 5, 2015)—July was another record month for Provider Web Capital, as the company set new origination highs combined with a record number of newly acquired clients. Provider Web accomplished this while continuing to provide excellent customer service and additional funds to current clients when needed. Some noted transactions from July include:
• Funded a Clearwater, Florida, mental health facility to refinance debt
WAKEFIELD, R.I. (July 22, 2015)—ChartWise Medical Systems Inc. announced the integration of its new ICD-10-PCS Query Wizard technology into the ChartWise 2.0 software solution. Designed to take the complexity out of procedure coding, ChartWise’s Query Wizard functionality is the only tool on the market capable of assisting in the clarification of physician procedure codes.
Kansas City, Kan. (July 27, 2015)—Kenyan runner Moninda Marube has a big mission—one that will take him 3,700 miles on foot across the U.S.
Moninda grew up in Kenya. A lack of steady money and political violence contributed to a difficult life as a youth. But, his talent for running allowed him a way out, and his journey landed him in the United States.
LONDON, UK (July 30, 2015)—The global orthopedic braces and supports (orthotics) market will rise in value from $2.56 billion in 2014 to reach just under $3.5 billion by 2021, largely driven by an aging population and patient preference for braces and supports as non-invasive treatment options, says research and consulting firm GlobalData.
CMS Makes Major Hospice Payment Change
A major change in the way hospice providers are reimbursed will indeed go into effect, but not as quickly as originally proposed. (Tim Mullaney/Home Health Care News)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (August 3, 2015)—As part of its commitment to regularly evaluate and improve its certification examinations, the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) recently convened a group of subject matter experts (SMEs) to review and update the content for all of BOC’s exams. The SMEs analyzed and revised test questions, working in exam-specific groups. Exam content was validated by referencing current student textbooks.
LENEXA, Kan. (August 4, 2015)—Mediware Information Systems Inc., a provider of comprehensive post-acute care health care software, announced the second scheduled release of their latest integrated product, CareTend.
ALLENTOWN, Penn. (August 3, 2015)—Handicare announced that Tom Rolick, formerly with Permobil, is joining the Handicare U.S. organization as CEO effective August 3. During his more than 20 years at Permobil, Tom built one of the industry's most respected and successful sales teams and helped Permobil grow into an industry leader in the manufacture and provision of power and manual mobility products. Hans Sigvardsson will remain with the company focusing on key accounts.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 27, 2015)—Today, Covered California announced a modest proposed 4 percent statewide weighted average rate increase for plans offered in 2016 on their Health Insurance Marketplace, which is lower than last year’s increase of 4.2 percent. This is the second year in a row that Covered California has achieved single-digit rate increases.
LENEXA, Kan. (August 3, 2015)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc. is hosting a free webinar for attendees on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at 1:00 Central, 2:00 EST, to outline how to maximize the collection of copayments and deductibles while staying within the law. The webinar is entitled “Unlocking Revenue Potential with Copayments, Deductibles and Waivers.”
ATLANTA (July 28, 2015)—A massive amount of knowledge awaits attendees at Medtrade, scheduled for Oct 26-29, 2015, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Past attendees may remember Bruce Brothis, president of Allegient Billing & Consulting, in full haz-mat gear in homage to the Breaking Bad series. Brothis will be back at Medtrade, this time taking the Breaking Bad sequel theme of Better Call Saul.
WASHINGTON D.C. (July 28, 2015)—As Medicare and Medicaid celebrate their 50th anniversary protecting the health and well-being of millions of seniors, people with disabilities and low-income individuals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released updated Medicare state-by-state enrollment numbers, showing that more than 55 million Americans are covered by Medicare.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (July 29, 2015)—Franciscan Companies is pleased to announce its support for Operation Walk Syracuse continued this year with a donation of nearly $3,000 of medical equipment.