PRATT, Ala. — CEO Esther Apter and several other employees from Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.-based MedForce Technologies headed to Alabama over the weekend to help clean up in the wake of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through the state on April 27. Working through disaster response organization Nechama, the team is helping residents clean up the damage in the city of Pratt, in the Birmingham area, June 12-14.
HomeCare News
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment is hosting Tar Heel native Alexandra McArthur, Ms. Wheelchair America 2011, as a special guest at its 2011 Summer Meeting this week. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 7, the 23-year-old McArthur will be speaking to attendees on how HME mobility products and services have helped her overcome her disability and enjoy everyday life.
WASHINGTON — The Office of Inspector General announced Thursday it has captured another on its roster of "Most Wanted" health care fugitives.
According to a 2010 indictment, Luis Perez Moreira and a co-conspirator operated Miami's Rx Plus Medical Care, a DME company that allegedly submitted over $2.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. Prior to his arrest, Perez was living in Cancun, Mexico.
ROCKY HILL, Conn. — ATG Rehab announced June 9 it has acquired the mobility and complex rehab division of Rapid City, S.D.-based WestMed Rehab.
Founded by Tim Pederson, Deb Holso and John Nesland, WestMed serves more than 800 clients per year in South Dakota's Black Hills area through the region's hospitals, rehab clinics and long-term care facilities, according to a release.
WATERLOO, Iowa — People for Quality Care has recently completed several videos in its documentary series on how competitive bidding affects Medicare beneficiaries.
This time the grassroots advocacy group's Kelly Turner and Beth Cox have turned the camera on patients and patient advocates in the Dallas area, one of the nine Round 1 MSAs.
WASHINGTON — Key industry stakeholders applauded the growing numbers of legislators signing on as cosponsors to H.R. 1041, but said last week there is much more work to be done if competitive bidding is to be repealed.
WATERLOO, Iowa — For Lisa Ziehl, going to VGM's annual Heartland Conference is kind of like going home. She meets old friends, has a great time and promises to come back next year.
She always takes something home, too.
"Dealing with fraud and abuse issues is akin to visiting Alice in Wonderland," says attorney Jeff Baird, chairman of the health care group at Brown & Fortunato. "What is down is up, what is up is down, and every day we descend through the proverbial rabbit hole. This is particularly true when a DME company desires to enter into a business arrangement with a referral source such as a physician, hospital or long-term care facility.
This analysis was written by the American Association for Homecare's lobbying firm, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc.
Without congressional action by August 2, 2011, the United States will exceed its statutory borrowing authority. While most expect that Congress will raise the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, Republicans in Congress plan to use the debt limit debate to pursue strategies to reduce the nation's federal deficit and debt.
ELYRIA, Ohio — Invacare announced June 1 that it has shipped its 200,000th HomeFill transfilling oxygen system. J. B. Richey, the manufacturer's senior vice president of electronic and design engineering and president of Invacare Technologies Division, designed the system.
NORWELL, Mass. — Carex Health Brands has relocated its corporate headquarters to Boston to support the expansion of its marketing team, an initiative planned to increase brand-building and double new product development, the company announced last week.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Following its acquisition by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Cigna Government Services has changed its name to CGS LLC effective June 1.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Jeff Woodham, senior vice president and general manager of The MED Group, Lubbock, Texas, and Christa Miehe, vice president of events for The VGM Group, Waterloo, Iowa, are the newest additions to Medtrade's Blue Ribbon Task Force, formed to offer ideas for improvement of the Medtrade and Medtrade Spring conferences and expositions. Task force members include executives from organizations involved in each major aspect of the HME industry.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — NCART has scheduled its second National Medicaid Summit in St. Louis Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Additional details will be announced as the program is finalized, according to Executive Director Don Clayback.
WASHINGTON — H.R. 1936, the Medicare Access to Diabetes Supplies Act, would permanently exempt small community pharmacies from the competitive bidding program for diabetes testing supplies. The exemption in the bill, introduced May 23 by Reps. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., covers diabetes test strips, monitors, lancets, glucose control solutions and applies to community pharmacies with 10 or fewer locations.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — HME replacement parts and supplies vendor The Aftermarket Group has launched an updated and improved website at www.aftermarketgroup.com.
CANTON, Ohio — Lisa Bargmann has joined Harrington Management Group's Audit Team as senior vice president of consulting services, the company announced. Bargmann brings 22 years of reimbursement, claim review and compliance expertise to the firm, and will also advise on new business development.
WASHINGTON — For the six months from October 2010 through March 2011, HHS' Office of Inspector General took actions that are expected to total $3.4 billion in recoveries related to investigations, audits and other reviews, mainly of Medicare and Medicaid. The monies include about $222 million from audits and $3.2 billion from 349 criminal and 197 civil actions during the period, the OIG announced last week.
CINCINNATI — Vantage Mobility International and MobilityWorks, a Cincinnati-based retailer of wheelchair accessible vans, teamed with Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory to help donate a wheelchair accessible minivan for an area family.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Peter Cramton, the University of Maryland economics professor at the vanguard in condemning CMS' competitive bidding design, is pursuing a new avenue to get the current program shelved.