BALTIMORE — CMS will hold a meeting of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC) on April 5 to discuss the status of the Round 1 rebid and upcoming rounds of the Medicare DMEPOS competitive bidding program, according to a notice.
Scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, the meeting will be held at the CMS building at 7500 Security Blvd. in Baltimore, Md.
FARGO, N.D. — Noridian Administrative Services has received another contract as the DME MAC for Jurisdiction D, which includes 17 states and three U.S. island territories.
The new contract is valued at $86.2 million and includes the base year plus four one-year options to renew. CMS awarded the contract Feb. 16, and it took effect on March 1.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rotech Healthcare reported its fourth quarter and year-end financials last week, and the company is pleased with its performance, President and CEO Phil Carter said in a release.
For the three months ended Dec. 31, net revenues rose slightly to $123.8 million compared to $123.2 million for the same period in 2009. For the year, net revenues grew to $496.4 million from $479.9 million in 2009.
WASHINGTON — In a letter to President Barack Obama sent yesterday, 42 Senate Republicans asked him to withdraw the nomination of Donald Berwick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
WASHINGTON — In three separate House and Senate hearings on health care fraud and abuse Wednesday, legislators got an earful from representatives of the Office of Inspector General, who said they were making headway in the fight to get rid of it.
Committee members also heard how easy it was to game the system from a man convicted of Medicare fraud.
WASHINGTON — "If you understand the fundamentals of competition, it is easy to see that the Medicare competitive bidding program is anything but competitive … You cannot eliminate 80 or 90 percent of competitors and expect to arrive at a competitive outcome," said John Shirvinsky, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers.
WASHINGTON — The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness fired another shot against competitive bidding last month, sending a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that asks for a retrospective review of the CMS program.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Apparently hoping to better understand the effects of Round 1 competitive bidding, CMS' Jonathan Blum heard from Florida providers last week in a quick meeting that nevertheless pointed up the severe cracks in the program, according to attendees.
ARLINGTON, Va. — According to a late Friday message from the American Association for Homecare, RAC audits in Jurisdiction D are targeting CPAP equipment and supplies for recoupment when the Medicare program did not pay for the sleep test.
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — In a financial statement issued Feb. 18, Apria Healthcare announced net revenues decreased for the fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31.
For the final three months of 2010, net revenues slid $8.4 million, or 1.6 percent, to $527.7 million from $536.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. The company reported a net loss of $19.9 million for the quarter.
ATLANTA — GF Health Products announced last week it is relocating its Lumex recliner production from Taiwan to Atlanta. With help from a local economic development program, the company will renovate a 96,000-sq. ft. facility in the city's Doraville suburb and add another 7,200 square feet to that footprint.
Marking the third phase of the manufacturer's "Made in the USA" initiative, the move represents $1.75 million in capital investment and 17 new jobs.
STUART, Fla. — Liberator Medical Holdings reported record revenue for its first fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 31. Sales for the three months increased 33.3 percent to $12.2 million compared to $9.6 million for the same quarter in 2009. Gross profit for the three months rose 33.1 percent to $7.87 million compared to $5.91 million for the three months in 2009.
CLARK, N.J. — The PromptCare Cos. has acquired substantially all of the operating assets of PRO2 Philadelphia, which provides ventilator therapy and specialty respiratory products and services. PRO2, which will now be operated as PRO2 Respiratory Services, has three offices serving the greater Philadelphia, southern New Jersey and Delaware markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
WASHINGTON — AAHomecare has met again with senior staff from the House Oversight and Reform Committee on HME regulations that negatively impact the economy and jobs, its newsletter reported last week.
BALTIMORE — CMS will be conducting follow-up calls to providers for the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program.
BALTIMORE — CMS will delay its April 1 deadline for states to implement their Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor programs until sometime later in 2011.
"Out of consideration for state operational issues and to ensure states comply with the provisions of the final rule, we have determined that states will not be required to implement their RAC programs by the proposed implementation date," the agency said in a bulletin.
LAS VEGAS — Medtrade Spring organizers have announced a full day of pre-show seminars for the mid-year event, which will take place April 12-14 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. To be held on April 12, the seminars will provide in-depth education on a range of topics including audits, competitive bidding, compression therapy, mobility, oxygen therapy, sales and marketing and sleep therapy.
ELYRIA, Ohio — Invacare has launched an electronic book that offers tools providers can use to help redefine their business approach. The interactive ebook includes building blocks for a business plan, with information on financing, non-delivery oxygen technology, merchandising, repairs and co-pay collection.
EXETER, Pa. — Pride Mobility Products and Quantum Rehab have announced the new 2011 Professional Education Partnership tour dates. The 24-city national tour begins March 16 in Orlando, Fla., and continues through October, with a final stop in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., near company headquarters.
WATERLOO, Iowa — Alan Morris has been promoted to director of alternate care programs for VGM Group and "will be responsible for leading VGM into new opportunities in the health care marketplace, as well as continuing to develop some of our current offerings," VGM & Assoc. President Ron Bendell said in a release.
