More than 300 providers have signed the I’m Still Fighting Pledge, a vow to engage their customers in a fight against Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program, according to People for Quality Care, the advocacy division of the VGM Group. The commitment ranges from simple tasks of handing out educational information to the more complex tasks of engaging local advocacy group, referral sources and media to help educate the public about competitive bidding.
HomeCare News
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Fortune Magazine named Sunset Healthcare Solutions of Boston No. 12 on their 2012 Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the U.S. The manufacturer and distributor grew by 66 percent compounded annually over a five-year period between 2006 and 2010 to secure a spot on the list.
The New England Medical Dealers Association (NEMED) has sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius applauding her for finalizing the Community First Choice rule, but warning that competitive bidding threatens to undermine the new program designed to encourage home care.
Invacare Corp. of Elyria, Ohio, has been named a recipient of the World Class Customer Service Award from SmartBusiness magazine for the fourth consecutive year. The award is presented annually to a select group of Northeast Ohio-based businesses that deliver excellent customer service. Invacare will be honored during an awards ceremony in June.
National Government Services ended the DME Swipe Card Pilot Project on April 30, and providers should no longer use the cards. The pilot captured data using credit card terminals when DMEPOS—durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies—items were ordered by Part B physicians and filled by DME suppliers in the Indianapolis area.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced last week that it will no longer charge veterans a copayment beginning May 7 when they receive care in their homes from VA health professionals using video conferencing. The change will primarily benefit veterans with limited mobility, such as spinal cord injury patients.
VGM Group, Inc., of Waterloo, Iowa, last week announced a partnership with BeClose, makers of a Web-based home activity monitoring system that helps provide peace of mind to families of those who live alone. The BeClose system uses wireless sensors to recognize the daily patterns of a loved one and alert family members or caregivers when an unexpected change in habits occurs.
Unum, a leading provider of disability benefits, reported last week a summary of conditions and diseases associated with long-term and short-term disability claims.
The company said that for more than a decade, cancer, pregnancy and back disorders have been the top causes of disability claims, but employees often believe injuries cause the most missed work.
AAHomecare, working with its Manufacturer Device Tax Working Group and Regulatory Council, has recommended exempting all HME items and supplies from the medical device excise tax required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, commonly known as health care reform.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week released a report reviewing the first year of Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program, but left critical questions unanswered.
The 74-page report was issued in conjunction with the hearing on competitive bidding by the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.
The HME industry made modest progress against competitive bidding last Wednesday at a hearing by the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.
Witnesses presented the usual arguments for and against the program. As expected, no consensus emerged from the subcommittee on whether Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program should be modified, replaced or expanded as is.
For nearly four decades HomeCare magazine has supported the ever-evolving HME provider market, reporting on products, trends and technologies while keeping our finger on the pulse of legislative developments.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services last week finalized the Community First Choice rule for Medicaid and announced the participants in the Independence at Home Demonstration Program for Medicare.
MEDIchair, a home medical equipment franchise company located in Canada, announced last week that its Calgary franchise has been selected as winner of the 2011 Harry Mykolaishyn Best Dressed Store Award from among the organization’s more than 60 franchise stores across Canada.
Val Halamandaris, founding CEO of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, will receive a Lifetime Leadership award from the Association for Home Care and Hospice of North Carolina at its 40th Annual Convention on Monday, April 30. This award honors those who have dedicated their lives to serving others. For more than 40 years Halamandaris has been a leading voice advocating in Washington on behalf of seniors, home care and hospice.
The Michigan Pioneer ACO (Accountable Care Organization) is working with the Detroit Medical Center on a Personalized Care at Home Program to better serve patients living with chronic illnesses. The program provides physicians a way to enhance care for patients between appointments and after hospitalizations. Patients in the program work with case managers in collaboration with their primary care physician.
U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., on April 18 introduced H.R. 4378, a measure that would create a separate benefit category under Medicare for complex rehabilitation technology. The category would include products such as complex rehabilitation power wheelchairs, highly configurable manual wheelchairs, adaptive seating and positioning systems, and other specialized equipment such as standing frames and gait trainers.
The New York Times reported last week that the number of skilled nursing homes and facilities is declining amid growth of in-home care nursing programs. According to a recent article in The New York Times, the number of nursing homes shrunk by 350 nationwide during the past six years, while the number of in-home care nursing programs has doubled to from 42 to 84.
The Department of Health and Human Services last week announced $10.4 million in grants for rural health providers across the nation.
The money will be used to meet a broad range of health-care needs in rural areas, from health promotion and disease prevention to expanding oral and mental health services.
Six members of the Senate Finance Committee last week announced a bipartisan effort to solicit ideas from the health-care community on ways to combat waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The lawmakers asked interested parties to submit white papers offering recommendations and innovative solutions to improve program integrity, strengthen payment reforms and enhance fraud and abuse enforcement. Deadline for submissions is June 29.