ELYRIA, Ohio, July 26, 2012—Invacare Corp. announced a net loss of $1.98 million for the second quarter 2012. During the same period last year, the company posted net earnings of $10.66 million. The company said earnings were driven down by the cost of improvements necessary to meet FDA requirements, a decline in sales and lower-margin customers.
HomeCare News
MENLO PARK, Calif., July 31, 2012—A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the Supreme Court’s health care reform ruling found that a majority of Americans support expansion of the nation’s Medicaid program for low-income people. The court ruled that expansion of eligibility as mandated by the Affordable Care Act was coercive and unconstitutional. That opened the door for states to opt out of the expansion, which would have increased beneficiaries by 16 million.
NASHVILLE, July 24, 2012—The Association for Tennessee Home Oxygen and Medical Equipment Services (ATHOMES) announced it will bestow the 2012 Champion for Homecare Award on Aug. 16 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. The award will be presented during the first annual ATHOMES convention, and it recognizes a community leader who has advocated for homecare issues, beneficiaries and HME providers in Tennessee.
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2012—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it will increase payments for skilled nursing facilities by 1.8 percent beginning Oct. 1. There are about 15,000 Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities in the nation, and the rate increase will amount to about $670 million.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Aug. 1, 2012—Ottobock announced the promotion of two employees, one in the area of mobility solutions and the other in finance. Matt Swiggum has been promoted to vice president of mobility solutions, U.S. HealthCare, where he will continue to support the rehab market.
BOSTON, July 18, 2012—Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has scheduled a three-day conference Sept. 23-25 at the Hyatt Crystal City in Arlington, Va., entitled Diabetes Innovation 2012. The conference is intended to spur ideas, partnerships and collaborations associated with the diabetes epidemic.
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2012— Officials said last week at a public hearing that Medicare reimbursement for diabetic testing supplies sold at the retail level is being pushed down because of two government mechanisms for cutting prices—inherent reasonableness and competitive bidding.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has scheduled a National Provider Call for 1:30-3 p.m. (EST) Tuesday with subject matter experts on Medicare’s Shared Savings Program and the Advanced Payment Model for physician-led and rural Accountable Care Organizations. The call is for Medicare fee-for-service providers, and registration closes at noon Tuesday or when available space is filled.
PLAINVIEW, N.Y., July 25, 2012—Fastrack Healthcare Systems announced that it is expanding staff to accommodate increased demand for its Home Medical Equipment (HME-DME), Home Care Pharmacy (Infusion Pharmacy) and Home Healthcare Agency enterprise software. In conjunction with this expansion, the company has made two key hires in its sales force—Bill Halligan as account manager and Ellen Cappelli in inside sales. Halligan and Cappelli were previously with CareCentric.
ANAHEIM, Calif., June 23, 2012—MK Battery is working with Medtrade 2012 in Atlanta to host a special consumer pavilion at the show. The company hopes to unite the HME industry and consumer advocacy organizations so they can more effectively work on strategic legislation, fundraising and other projects. MK is in its third year of a “Power for Funding” campaign, which has raised $150,000 for industry and trade organizations.
JACKSON, Mich., July 23, 2012—Naturs Design Inc., maker of the RemZzzs CPAP mask liners, is preparing to launch a nationwide Sleep Awareness Tour this fall to raise awareness about the connection between good health and good sleep. The 12-month tour will provide educational information about sleep apnea, offer free mask adjustments, provide free samples, provide “mini-screenings” for sleep apnea and coordinate with other sleep-related events.
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2012—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Medicare Hospice Wage Index for fiscal year 2013, increasing payments by 0.9 percent.
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2012—The Center for Health Care Strategies Inc., a nonprofit health policy resource group, is working with seven states—Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Vermont—to accelerate design and implementation of Accountable Care Organizations for Medicaid providers and beneficiaries.
WATERLOO, Iowa, July 20, 2012—VGM Group Inc. has announced dates and locations for “Round 1 Recompete” seminars conducted by Mark Higley, a VGM competitive bidding expert.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa, July 25, 2012—Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program will reduce government spending on home medical equipment in Iowa by almost $100 million a year, or about one-third of what is now being spent, according to a new study by Ken Brown of the University of Northern Iowa Department of Economics.
CLEARWATER, Fla., July 23, 2012—The Linde Group and Lincare Holdings Inc. announced that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of a waiting period under antitrust laws. This step is necessary for the acquisition of Lincare by Linde for $4.6 billion.
Joint ventures and other arrangements between HME suppliers and hospitals
Jeffrey S. Baird is chairman of the Health Care Group of Brown & Fortunato, a law firm based in Amarillo, Texas. He represents HME providers, pharmacies and other health care providers throughout the U.S. The following is a Q&A he authored.
ROCKY HILL, Conn., July 13, 2012—ATG Rehab announced that Pete Rubino has joined the company as assistive technology sales representative for metropolitan New York. Rubino brings 18 years of diverse experience in the complex rehab business to ATG Rehab’s expanding New York operations. Before joining ATG, he served as territory business manager at Invacare, where he was responsible for product sales throughout the New York metro market.
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012—Medicare’s audit system needs better oversight, clearer regulations, standard policies, transparency and accountability, according to a white paper produced by the VGM Group and several independent providers, with assistance from the law firm of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., July 17, 2012—Authentidate Holding Corp., a provider of secure web-based software applications and telehealth products and services, announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has completed the test-in phase for Authentidate’s Electronic House Call vital signs monitoring device and web service, and has given its approval for VA facilities throughout the country to order and use the system.