TALLAHASSEE — On the last day of its session Friday, Florida's legislature passed a comprehensive reform plan for Medicaid that moves most of the state's beneficiaries into managed care.
Lawmakers have long said the plan would be a money-saver for the state's Medicaid program, which serves about 2.7 million and has seen costs balloon to a staggering $20 billion a year.
WASHINGTON — In a May 6 letter to Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, four of the states hit by a string of deadly tornadoes and other storms in late April, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius offered options to speed Medicaid eligibility for those who may desperately need health services but have no means to pay for it.
BALTIMORE — Medicare's RAC auditors have collected $313 million in overpayments from October 2009 (when the program was expanded nationally) through March 2011, according to a CMS report. More than half of that total, or $162 million, was collected in the first three months of this year, the report said.
In Regions C and D, the top overpayment issue was separate billing for bundled services for DMEPOS provided during an inpatient stay, CMS said.
ATLANTA — GF Health Products announced May 2 that Ken Spett has been promoted to president and CEO.
Spett's background in the health care industry includes a variety of senior executive, sales and marketing positions spanning more than 30 years. He began his career with Graham-Field in 1983 as vice president of operations for Labtron Scientific Corp., and served most recently as president and COO.
SALT LAKE CITY — Alpine Home Medical Equipment announced last week it has received Utah's 'Best of State' award for the third year in a row. The company was honored for its achievements in merchandising and consumer services in the medical equipment/supplies category, judged by the awards committee on points including its mission, financials, customer satisfaction and more.
According to Alpine President Jay Broadbent, the award "is something to be proud of."
ATLANTA — AAHomecare has set the date for its Fall 2011 Stand Up for Homecare reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Medtrade. The fundraiser will support the association's ongoing public awareness campaign for home care.
For more about the campaign, see www.aahomecare.org.
WATERLOO, Iowa — Teri Lynn Jorgensen of Cedar Falls, Iowa, has a special message about competitive bidding for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa: "The choice [of provider] needs to remain mine."
So does Angie Plager of Cambridge, Iowa. "We really need you now more than ever to stop this competitive bidding."
BALTIMORE — CMS' DME MACs issued several notable messages over the past two weeks, including:
ATLANTA — Home care providers with the best of emergency plans were stretched to the breaking point during last week's devastating storms and tornadoes that hit seven southern states. At press time, The Associated Press estimated 341 people dead; the Alabama Emergency Management Agency had confirmed 254 fatalities in that state alone.
Call centers are a viable option, according to health care attorney Jeff Baird of Brown & Fortunato, but providers should be aware of the legal landmines.
Question: I keep hearing about call centers. What exactly is a call center?
SAN DIEGO — ResMed announced record revenue and income for its third quarter and nine months, ended March 31. Revenue for the quarter was $313.3 million, a 12 percent increase over the 2010 quarter. For the nine months, revenue was $901.3 million, an increase of 13 percent over the same period last year.
CINCINNATI — Premier Infusion is the latest acquisition for CarePoint Partners, which now has 22 locations in nine states. Premier provides home infusion pharmacy services in Austin, Texas, and infusion pharmacy and related nursing services in the Atlanta area. The Austin location complements CarePoint's Dallas and Houston operations while its expansion into the Atlanta market continues to grow its southeastern footprint, according to the company.
WATERLOO, Iowa — Matthew Eversmann, the real-life hero of the Battle of Mogadishu who was portrayed in the movie "Black Hawk Down," will be the keynote speaker at VGM's 2011 Heartland Conference next month.
TRINIDAD, Colo. — NRRTS debuted its newly remodeled website last week at www.nrrts.org.
Now full-text searchable, the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers' revised site includes an updated consumer and advocacy section with information on how individuals and organizations can get involved in improving access to complex rehab technology, direct links to NRRTS news and a link to its Facebook page.
BALTIMORE — CMS has scheduled a series of public meetings at its headquarters during May and June to present information about specific requests for HCPCS codes for new products and services. A two-day meeting for "Supplies and Other" products and services (wound care, diabetes, enteral nutrition) will be held May 24 and 25, a meeting for orthotics and prosthetics will be held June 7, and a meeting specifically for DME is scheduled for June 8.
ELYRIA, Ohio — "Invacare is off to a solid start in 2011," President and CEO Gerald Blouch said of the company's first-quarter results, announced during an April 28 conference call with analysts.
For the three months ended March 31, net earnings were $7.5 million versus $3.1 million for the first quarter of 2010. Net sales grew 6.5 percent to $428.5 million from $402.2 million last year. Organic net sales increased 6.1 percent with increases in all business segments.
ATLANTA — The van Halem Group announced April 25 that Amarillo, Texas-based HC Comply will become a new division of the company focused specifically on compliance. Effective May 16, the move follows the departure of HC Comply founder Clay Stribling, who leaves to become president and CEO of the Amarillo Area Foundation, a regional charitable organization.
CLEVELAND — Max-Wellness announced this morning it will partner with Lake Health, a private community health care provider in Northeast Ohio, on the launch this summer of a Mini-Max store concept designed to be located in hospitals and rehab centers.
ATLANTA — While Round 2 of competitive bidding will expand the program to 91 additional cities, that's not all that could expand. The national bidding program might also include a much wider selection of products, according to a joint message from the American Association for Homecare, the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers and VGM.
LUBBOCK, Texas — If you think the home medical equipment sector is going nowhere these days, The MED Group has a word for you, or three: orthotics and prosthetics.
The member services group has created a new program designed to help HME providers establish a viable O&P operation.
