CHICAGO — From 1990 to 2009, the number of hospital emergency departments in urban areas dropped by 27 percent — from 2,446 to 1,779 — while the number of ED visits increased, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
HomeCare News
CHICAGO — The American Medical Association recently gave Congress its recommendations about how Medicare's looming physician payment issue should be fixed.
WATERLOO, Iowa — Savvy home medical equipment providers can be the "go to" companies in the emerging world of 21st century health care, but they need to be quick to align themselves with newly forming Accountable Care Organizations, an industry analyst said.
BALTIMORE — Medicare payment reforms, anti-fraud measures and other initiatives such as competitive bidding for DME will mean almost $120 billion in savings to the program over the next five years, according to a new CMS report.
WASHINGTON — CMS took an airbrushed picture of Round 1 competitive bidding to Capitol Hill last week, but the distorted image could end up working in the HME sector's favor, some stakeholders believe.
WASHINGTON — The Medicare Part A hospital insurance trust fund will be exhausted in 2024, five years sooner than was predicted last year, according to the Medicare Board of Trustees.
The trustees blamed the earlier date on the country's economic downturn, which has resulted in lower tax revenues to finance the trust fund.
NORCROSS, Ga. — Adding new technologies, diversifying into new service lines and scouring your business for efficiencies can definitely help prepare for competitive bidding, according to provider Todd Tyson, president of Hi-Tech Healthcare. But the changes won't be instant.
"Don't think you just turn on a switch and everything works tomorrow," Tyson said. "It takes a lot of work to get prepared for this."
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Last week Apria Healthcare posted net revenues of $536.7 million for the first quarter ended March 31 compared to $508.9 million for the same period in 2010. Revenue for the three months increased primarily due to home infusion revenues and its March acquisition of Praxair's U.S. home care assets.
STUART, Fla. — Liberator Medical announced last week that sales for its second fiscal quarter ended March 31 increased 31 percent to $12.64 million compared to $9.65 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — If you can't catch the 2011 Warrior Games in person, don't worry. Select events will be broadcast live online at USParalympics.org/WarriorGames.
ELYRIA, Ohio — Invacare is donating equipment and supplies to the Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) to assist relief efforts in the areas hardest hit by the recent severe storms and tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. The total donation will top $65,000, including wheelchairs, crutches, mattresses and supplies such as adult incontinence items, gloves and hand sanitizer.
BALTIMORE — CMS has released the agenda for its June 8 public meeting on new HCPCS code requests for DME. Each of the 10 agenda items includes an overview of the request and CMS' preliminary coding decision.
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — Lift maker Bruno Independent Livings Aids announced last week that it has sold its power tilt cap product, called Pow'r Topper, to Clock Conversions of Grand Rapids, Mich. The trademarked name is being retired.
Under terms of the agreement, Clock acquired all existing inventory, names of key suppliers, demo equipment stands, manufacturing and assembly fixtures and engineering and application drawings.
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — Fastrack Healthcare Systems unveiled a new ownership program last week that allows clients of its SaaS, or hosted model, to apply a large portion of their monthly hosting fees to the purchase price if they want to own the software license.
ORLANDO, Fla.—As of March 31, revenue-generating patients in Rotech’s core product lines of oxygen and CPAP grew 13.6 percent in this year’s first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2010, the company announced May 6.
CLINTON, N.Y. — In a strategic move to blunt the effects of competitive bidding, Upstate HomeCare announced May 9 it has purchased the American HomePatient infusion pharmacy in Rochester, N.Y. The deal is expected to close within 30 days.
SAN FRANCISCO — An Oakland, Calif., woman was sentenced April 26 to 57 months in prison for her role in a scam to bill Medicare for more than $1.2 million in fraudulent claims for power wheelchairs, HHS and the Department of Justice announced.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you think getting a bill through Congress is easy, just check the steps involved in securing legislation that would create a separate Medicare benefit for complex rehab.
WASHINGTON — In a May 6 letter emailed to CMS Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum, a dozen members of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee asked for the release of additional data on competitive bidding.
The PAOC was formed to advise CMS on implementation of the bidding program, but committee members have long said the agency seldom takes its advice.
WASHINGTON — Members of the House of Representatives are steadily signing on as cosponsors of H.R. 1041, but getting a companion Senate bill going — well, that's a longer story, stakeholders say.