Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. is rebranding itself as Florida Blue. The name, a logo and tagline – “In the pursuit of health” – were announced last week. The new Florida Blue brand will be used in signage, sponsorships and advertising.
HomeCare News
VGM Education has been re-accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The designation allows VGM to offer IACET Continuing Education Units. To achieve Authorized Provider accreditation, VGM Education completed a rigorous application process, including a review by an IACET commissioner, and demonstrated adherence to the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard addressing the design, development, administration and evaluation of its programs.
Republican members of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees last week sent a letter to Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), asking about efforts to prevent waste, fraud and abuse caused by “nominee owners” or “shell companies.” The lawmakers asked for information regarding efforts by CMS to identify nominee owners and the type of fraud perpetrated by individuals and organizations establishi
HME providers have encouraged more than 1,000 beneficiaries and community members to sign letters to Congress pressing for a fair and accurate cost analysis of the Market Pricing Program, the proposed replacement for Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program. The campaign was conducted with support from People for Quality Care and VGM Government, along with providers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Kansas, California and Colorado.
Apria Healthcare Group recently announced that net revenues for the fourth quarter 2011 totaled $603.4 million, up from $527.7 million reported in the same quarter a year ago. That is a 14.3 percent increase.
The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation released a study April 5 showing that home healthcare saves Medicare money when it is used as the first choice for care after hospitalization for conditions such as major joint replacement.
The Midwest Association of Medical Equipment Services (MAMES) recently held its spring convention and exhibition in Omaha, Neb., where the organization named recipients of major awards.
Provider of the Year Awards went to Key Medical Supply of Shoreview Minn., and Terry Flatt of Hammer Medical Supply, Des Moines, Iowa.
Representatives from each of the four Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs), National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC), Common Electronic Data Interchange (CEDI) contractor and the Competitive Bidding Implementation contractor (CBIC) will be available at Medtrade Spring in booth 957.
Medtrade Spring is scheduled this week, April 10-12, in Las Vegas, and events involving Medicare contractors include:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it is developing an electronic clinical template to assist physicians when documenting the power mobility device face-to-face encounter for Medicare, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) reported.
Mike Mallaro, chief financial officer and chief information officer for VGM Group Inc. of Waterloo, Iowa, was named one of the Cedar Valley’s Top 10 Financial Executives by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier newspaper. Mallaro, 48, has been with VGM since 2001.
By Shelly Prial
I find it exciting to look back to the very first Medtrade show. It happened about 35 years ago in Atlanta, and it still feels like yesterday.
Essentially Women GPO, a premier purchasing group for women’s health care products, conducted its 12th annual conference and trade show, Focus on the Future, in Orlando, Fla., March 11-13. Organizers reported that the event was well attended despite economic challenges and industry upheaval.
Josie Badger, Ms. Wheelchair America 2012, will be a special guest at the VGM Heartland Conference June 4-7 in Waterloo, Iowa. She will be present at the hog roast, during exhibition hall hours at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, and will also be part of a luncheon workshop. Badger is working on her doctoral dissertation in health care ethics at Duquesne University.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance announced last week that it will protest the Department of Defense award of a TRICARE contract to UnitedHealth Group to provide access to health care for military families in the 21-state TRICARE West Region. TriWest has held the contract for 16 years. It was initially awarded this most recent contract in July 2009, and underwent a lengthy protest process led by UnitedHealth Group, which led to a rebid of the T-3 contract in August 2011.
Medicare University, which offers computer-based training courses, has added “Therapeutic Shoes for Persons with Diabetes” to its curricula, the Jurisdiction B DME MAC reported last week. Providers can access Medicare University through its website.
Independa, a company that offers technology-enabled independent-living solutions, last week announced an agreement with LivHOME Inc., a large provider of at-home care services for seniors. LivHOME will offer Independa’s integrated CloudCare services, incorporating social engagement and remote monitoring for health and safety.
Aging in America, the 2012 Annual Conference of the American Society on Aging was held March 28-April 1 in Washington, D.C. More than 3,000 people attended.
Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) announced March 23 continued approval of its home health accreditation program by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for six years. This recognizes CHAP’s program as a national accreditation program for home health agencies seeking to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. CHAP was originally granted deeming authority by the CMS in 1992 for home health.
The 60-day bid window for Round 2 of Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program closed Friday, March 30. So, providers participating in the program are finished with documentation, the computerized bidding system and most administrative aspects of competitive bidding. Participating providers, please go to the Homecare website (www.homecaremag.com) and in the lower right corner answer a single question about how well the actual process worked.
Doug Harrison, CEO of The Scooter Store, resigned from the company he founded.
A March 22 statement from the company said Harrison resigned to “pursue other interests.” J. Randall Bishop, a Scooter Store director, has been appointed interim CEO. He said in the statement that the company's board and Harrison “decided that this is the right time to make a leadership change.”