Invacare Corp., a leading manufacturer of HME, has renewed its commitment to Medtrade’s spring and fall shows with a presence emphasizing solutions over products, officials announced last week.
Doug Harper, group vice president of North America sales and market development for Invacare, said the company felt it was important to participate in the event given the tumultuous state of the HME industry.
HomeCare News
The Supreme Court’s expected decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 could have a big impact on the home medical equipment industry, the American Association for Homecare reported last week.
National Government Services, the Jurisdiction B Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor (DME MAC) Medical Review Department has completed a widespread prepayment Targeted Medical Review (TMR) of 314 random claims for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, HCPCS code E0601KH. Only 61 claims were allowed as billed and 197 were denied—an error rate of 81 percent.
UnitedHealthcare announced last week that its Military & Veterans Services business unit has been awarded the Department of Defense’s TRICARE Managed Care Support contract worth $1.4 billion to provide health care services for active duty and retired military service members and their families in the West Region.
National Government Services, the Jurisdiction B DME MAC, reports an increase in claims, overpayment requests, appeals requests, correspondence and other documents that are being submitted stapled together. “This is not an acceptable form of submission,” the DME MAC said in a release last week. “Submitting multiple pages stapled together will severely slows down the process of scanning the mail. Documents submitted with staples must be manually removed prior to scanning.
Members of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice are gathering Sunday through Wednesday, March 25-28, for the annual March on Washington & Law Symposium Conference & Exposition. Representatives will visit congressional offices on Capitol Hill to encourage better access to home care and hospice services for aged, infirmed, disabled and dying Americans.
The U.S. Supreme Court this week begins hearing oral arguments over the Affordable Care Act, or health care reform. The arguments start today. At issue is whether the Anti-Injunction Act, which prevents courts from striking down laws until they are enacted, applies to challenges to the individual mandate. On Tuesday, attorneys will argue whether the new law’s individual mandate is constitutional.
An article published March 19 in HomeCare Monday and entitled “CMS issues final rule revising DMEPOS supplier safeguards” used unclear language in stating licensing requirements for providers subcontracting through the Competitive Bidding Program. The article should have stated that the rule requires that suppliers who are awarded competitive bidding contracts must have all appropriate state licenses AND may use licensed subcontractors.
HME providers arriving in Las Vegas prior to the official start of Medtrade Spring can access education seminars for a nominal charge by calling participating companies for discount codes.
Bryan Dodge, a professional speaker, radio personality and author, will be the keynote speaker for the 2012 VGM Heartland Conference, which is scheduled for June 4-7 in Waterloo, Iowa. Dodge will speak June 5 at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, headquarters for the conference.
With the 60-day bid window for Round 2 closing Friday, March 30, HomeCare is conducting a quick poll on how the process worked.
By now, providers participating in the program have had experience with the documentation, computerized bidding system and other administrative aspects of competitive bidding.
We have one question about how things have gone. Please visit our website to answer it.
With the bidding window for Round 2 of competitive bidding set to close Friday, March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a statement strongly urging all bidders to check the financial documents required for the program.
In an effort to make the problems caused by competitive bidding more understandable, the organization People for Quality Care is developing a series of videos that explores Medicare’s Competitive Bidding Program through the experiences of ordinary people.
The SCOOTER Store announced last week that Rachael Smith, fleet manager of corporate operations department has been selected by Automotive Fleet Magazine as one of 16 nominees being considered for the AF Professional Fleet Manager of the Year Award. Smith manages more than 500 vehicles that traveled more than 22 million miles last year.
Ottobock of Minneapolis last week launched of the Aerial, Terra and Aquos wheelchair cushions, which are made from proprietary materials that promote clinical effectiveness. The ultra lightweight Aerial weighs 1.74 pounds and uses breathable reticulated foam and BREATHAIR® technology.
Pride Mobility Products Corp. and Quantum Rehab announced last week the promotion of Jay Brislin to vice president of Quantum Rehab.
HMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp., announced last week that it has been awarded a 36-month contract by Scott & White Health Plan to provide a variety of payment integrity services on behalf of the plan's Medicaid members, including coordination of benefits; overpayment recovery; subrogation; and fraud, waste and abuse.
Mada Medical Products Inc. of Carlstadt, N.J., has introduced the newest addition to its quality infection control products, CPAP Mask Wipes No. 7035. The wipes, used for cleaning and protecting CPAP masks, are made from cotton, are biodegradable, alcohol- and latex-free and are derived from coconut and other plant extracts. A case contains 12 containers.
National Government Services, the Jurisdiction B DME MAC will conduct a PWK and esMD webinar at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 29, geared to all DMEPOS suppliers. The 90-minute program will cover the PWK (paperwork) process for submitting documentation with an incoming electronic claim, as well as how the esMD (electronic submission of medical documentation) process is used to send documentation electronically in response to an additional documentation request (ADR) letter.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Office of E-Health Standards and Services last week announced that it will not initiate enforcement action for an additional three months, through June 30, against any covered entity that is required to comply with the updated transactions standards adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA): ASC X12 Version 5010 and NCPDP Versions D.0 and 3.0. On Nov.