PHILADEPHIA, Pa., July 17, 2012 —ATG Rehab has acquired the complex rehab business segment of Philadelphia-based Associated Medical Specialties. ATG will assume responsibility for delivery of Associated Medical Specialties’ complex rehab orders from clients. In conjunction with the purchase, ATG and Associated Medical Specialties will co-market respective services to customers, payers and medical facilities throughout the region.
HomeCare News
INDIANAPOLIS, July 11, 2012—National Government Services Inc. announced that it has been selected by TurningPoint Global Solutions LLC as a subcontractor for a contract under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Program Integrity. The Center for Program Integrity is implementing a National Fraud Prevention Program (NFPP) focused on prevention and detection that is integrated, risk-based, and measurable.
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012—A 10-page letter from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) general counsel to the Department of Health and Human Services said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) failed to legally establish an $8 billion Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration, and it should be terminated.
MINNEAPOLIS, July 16, 2012—Minnesota's first softball field for competitive wheelchair play will carry the name of the late Todd Anderson, CP, a longtime employee of Ottobock U.S. Healthcare. The new field at Northwoods Park in Brooklyn Park, Minn., will be inaugurated Aug. 9, and was made possible in part by a $200,000 grant through the Major League Baseball/Pepsi Refresh Project. Anderson died nearly two years ago at age 50.
PETERBOROUGH, Ontario, July 10, 2012—MEDIchair Trent recently received the EPIC Ventures award from the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation Business Advisory Centre. EPIC (Entrepreneurs Proudly Investing in our Community) Ventures is a program that recognizes the Peterborough region’s small business community’s contribution to economic growth, quality of life and creative business opportunities. www.trent.medichair.com
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012—Bloomberg Government, a division of Bloomberg dedicated to government news and analysis, issued a new report on competitive bidding. The report summarizes the history of the controversial program and examines criticism of competitive bidding.
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2012—The DME MAC’s CERT Task Force will conduct an educational CERT Webinar on July 24 from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. The webinar will address documentation requirements as outlined and included in the recent “Standard Documentation Language for Local Coverage Determinations” article. The following documentation requirements will be discussed during the webinar: Continued Use / Continued Medical Need; Request for Refill; Proof of Delivery; and Orders.
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2012—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a proposed rule that sets criteria for items that would require a face-to-face encounter as a condition of payment. The section on the face-to-face requirement starts on page 249 of the proposed rule.
WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012—In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Association for Homecare recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) refocus its strategy for fighting fraud.
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012—The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers (NAIMES) says that some of its members are now receiving Comparative Billing Reports (CBR) on home oxygen services. The reports show a provider’s billing in comparison to other providers.
MARIETTA, Ohio July 6, 2012—Pioneer Home Medical, a provider of oxygen and home medical equipment, provided emergency response services to its customers who were affected by a massive windstorm that disrupted power in the area on and after Friday, June 29.
The company reported that it delivered more than 500 oxygen tanks to customers with oxygen concentrators that were disabled when power was lost. Some company technicians went door-to-door checking on patients.
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012—The National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) has issued the following statement by Bruce Siegel, M.D., MPH, president and CEO. “We are deeply concerned that some states already have rejected Medicaid expansion and others might follow suit. About 4 million people who would have been eligible for Medicaid could go uninsured in states that have decided against expansion, and as many as 13.8 million are at risk.
WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012—The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that 89 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on July 1 began serving 1.2 million people with Medicare in 40 states and Washington.
ACOs are organizations formed by groups of doctors and other health care providers that have agreed to work together to coordinate care for people with Medicare. They share savings generated by the efficient management of patients.
INDIANAPOLIS, July 9, 2012—WellPoint, Inc., the nation’s second largest insurer, has entered into an agreement to acquire Amerigroup Corp., one of leading managed care companies for Medicaid patients in the United States.
Under terms of the agreement, WellPoint will pay $92 per share in cash to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Amerigroup for a transaction value of about $4.9 billion.
WARWICK, Rhode Island, July 10, 2012—ALCOR Scientific Inc. announced that Mark R. Ecker has joined the company as general manager. In his new role he will be responsible for sales and marketing and will immediately assume responsibility for ALCOR’s commercial operations. He will work closely with the organization’s sales and marketing team to expand the company’s long-standing enteral feeding business and lead a rapidly expanding In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) business.
WATERLOO, Iowa, July 10, 2012–Clint Geffert, a 14-year veteran of Philips Respironics, has joined VGM & Associates Ltd. to fill the newly created position of national vice president of sales. While at Philips he was most recently director of sales for national accounts. A registered respiratory therapist, Geffert has directed both national and regional sales organizations and managed field support branches.
ORLANDO, Fla., July 06, 2012—Rotech Healthcare, Inc., announced that Philip L. Carter intends to retire as president and CEO on Dec. 31. Carter will remain on the company’s board of directors after his retirement. Rotech Healthcare is one of the largest providers of home medical equipment and related products and services in the United States. It operates in 49 states through about 420 locations primarily in non-urban markets. www.rotech.com
WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed cutting payments to home health care companies next year by 0.1 percent, or about $20 million. The proposed cuts are based upon the underlying cost of health care and adjustments required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. www.cms.gov
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2012—Authorities say the Supreme Court’s ruling on health care reform will lead to many millions of uninsured Americans gaining coverage, and that means opportunities for the HME industry. But the Affordable Care Act also contains provisions that will keep financial pressure on providers.
James E. Walsh, Jr., corporate counsel for the VGM Group, wrote in response to the ruling that these provisions are included in health care reform:
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2012—HME providers worked alongside first responders to ensure the safety of the elderly and disabled during the recent extreme weather and power outages that struck much of the nation, the American Association for Homecare reported.