ATLANTA — For home care advocates who meticulously build relationships with Washington lawmakers, election days can often mark painful goodbyes to trusted allies. Industry insiders are used to it by now, and with one day to go before the face of Congress may change, there is little to do but make predictions and anticipate the impact.
HomeCare News
BALTIMORE — In a post on its website Thursday, CMS notified industry stakeholders of a national education call on competitive bidding Nov. 8. According to the notice, "The target audience for this call is DMEPOS suppliers that will not be contract suppliers in the program."
ELYRIA, Ohio — Last week Invacare officials reported organic sales growth of 2.4 percent in the third quarter compared to the same quarter in 2009. Net sales, however, rose less than 1 percent to $437.5 million.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — To promote consumer advocacy and patient choice, Medtrade 2010 will host a Consumer Advocacy Day at this year's event, which will take place Nov. 15-18 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
WATERLOO, Iowa — Some Iowa residents will get inside information on what Medicare's national competitive bidding project really means when VGM TV, a subsidiary of the VGM Group in Waterloo, debuts its first TV show on WCTV, the city's public access channel. The program, "Medicare: What You Don't Know Will Make You Sick," is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 4 and Nov. 18 and will feature a panel discussion with Ken Brown, Ph.D, the Lawrence M.
WASHINGTON — In another letter addressed to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, Rep. Patrick Tiberi, R-Ohio, asked whether or not CMS is considering changes to the competitive bidding program that many of the country's top economists say it needs.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Kevin Gaffney, CEM, show director for Medtrade and Medtrade Spring, has been honored with a Merit Award by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. The IAEE awards program recognizes professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the exhibitions and events industry.
SALISBURY, N.C. — As the culmination of a community effort to raise the funds for its purchase, Alliance Seating & Mobility delivered a power wheelchair with stand-up capabilities to paralyzed Salisbury resident Tim Elrod. Elrod, who had been using a manual wheelchair after being injured in a vehicle accident a year ago, wanted to be able to stand again, especially when the time came to walk his daughter down the aisle.
EXETER, Pa. — Pride Mobility Products and Quantum Rehab recently offered 10 students with disabilities an opportunity to be mentored by career professionals during Disability Mentoring Day Oct. 20 at Pride's Exeter facility.
SAN DIEGO — Amid a declining economy and an industry in turmoil, ResMed managed to record a 14 percent increase in revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30, officials announced Oct. 28. The sleep apnea equipment manufacturer reported revenue of $282 million for the quarter compared to just under $247 million for the same quarter in 2009.
Story updated on Nov 1, 2011
BALTIMORE — In a post on its website earlier today, CMS notified industry stakeholders of a national education call on competitive bidding on Nov. 8.
According to the notice, "The target audience for this call is DMEPOS suppliers that will not be contract suppliers in the program."
Lincare's Q3 Revenues Up
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Last week Lincare Holdings reported a 6.6 percent revenue gain over last year's third quarter, posting a $418.7 million tally for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010. Company officials attribute the boost to 10 percent internal and acquisition growth, which offset an estimated 3.4 percent negative impact from $13.1 million of Medicare payment changes during the third quarter of 2010.
ATLANTA — With the Jan. 1, 2011, implementation date for Round 1 of competitive bidding coming up in only weeks, the Medicare bidding project continues to dominate industry headlines. Following is a collection of HME advocates' comments on the program, along with excerpts from several recent studies on its effects:
BALTIMORE — The DME MAC medical directors will hold a public meeting tomorrow (Oct. 26) in Baltimore to discuss the draft glucose monitors local coverage determination. Comments on the draft LCD, to be accepted through Nov.
ATLANTA — AAHomecare will hold its seventh Stand Up for Homecare fundraiser at Medtrade on Monday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. (new time) at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. According to the association, the campaign continues to generate positive public awareness about the value of home care and key threats to the HME industry.
BALTIMORE — In preparation for the switch from the current ICD-9 diagnosis codes to the new ICD-10 code set on Oct. 1, 2013, CMS said last week it would implement a partial freeze on new codes.
The last regular update to the ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes will be made on Oct. 1, 2011. After that, only limited code updates will be made to both code sets to capture new technology and new diseases. Following the 2013 cutover, regular updates to ICD-10 will begin on Oct. 1, 2014.
INDIANAPOLIS — Home Health Depot announced last week that it is launching an e-commerce and consumer catalog division with the acquisition of Rite at Home Health Care Products. A subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Arcadia Resources, Rite at Home markets a range of HME products via direct mail and proprietary websites.
WATERLOO, Iowa — VGM Group has appointed Greg Schmitz, Ph.D., former president of Hawkeye Community College, to the newly created position of president of VGM Education. "Greg brings a new set of abilities, experience and contacts that will allow us to expand our educational offerings in both our traditional areas of interest and into areas beyond those," VGM COO Jim Phillips said in a release.
BALTIMORE — After a delay because of "red flags" CMS said it discovered in a program integrity review, the agency appears closer to the announcement of Round 1 competitive bidding contract winners — maybe.