WASHINGTON — With Congress scrambling to put together health care reform — a draft bill circulated Friday by Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy's health committee would guarantee all Americans health insurance — stakeholders are uncertain how HME will be treated as the reform takes shape.
HomeCare News
WASHINGTON — At the same time AAHomecare was on Capitol Hill last week, so was the AARP.
PITTSBURGH — Tammy Zelenko, president and CEO of Bridgeville, Pa.-based AdvaCare Home Services, was voted in as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers at the state association's annual convention in April.
NEW YORK — Joseph Baker has been hired as president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national nonprofit consumer organization that works on access to health care for older adults and people with disabilities. Baker served as a senior policy advisor in the administrations of New York Govs.
SANDWICH, Mass. — The Cape Medical Supply team has won the 2009 SCORE "Build a Better Mousetrap" award from the Sandwich, Mass., Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1977, the company has added stores in Plymouth, Falmouth and most recently Hyannis, Mass.
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — With more than 125 physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses and social workers in attendance, Integrated Medical themed its annual educational seminar for area medical staff around the military and veterans.
WASHINGTON — As usual, HME providers, manufacturers and speakers attending the American Association for Homecare's Legislative Conference last week had plenty of subjects to talk about, and plenty of opinions:
WASHINGTON — The American Association for Homecare has elected a new slate of officers for 2009-2010. Voted in during the association's annual Legislative Conference Tuesday, new officers are:
WASHINGTON--Even if you aren’t able to participate in the
American Association for Homecare’s Legislative Conference,
you can still make your voice heard.
WASHINGTON--On May 29, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius announced the appointment of Cindy Mann, director
of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, as
director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, part of
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
BALTIMORE — In an email sent Friday morning, CMS announced the next steps in its implementation of the Round One rebid of competitive bidding, including the general timeline for opening the bid window in the fall of this year.
According to the notice, the rebid will occur in the following MSAs (the same as the first Round One with the exclusion of Puerto Rico):
ATLANTA — Cara Bachenheimer is swift to identify the top three issues for the home medical equipment industry: “Competitive bidding.”
BALTIMORE — CMS has finalized the agenda for the first meeting of its new Program Advisory and Oversight Committee, established to advise the agency on competitive bidding.
ARLINGTON, Va. — On Tuesday, the American Association for Homecare sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee about the list of options for financing health reform through cuts in Medicare. The association message: Take HME off the list.
MARTINEZ, Ga. — Based on a new survey from CSI:HME, the Committee to Save Independent HME Suppliers, independent providers are more worried about competitive bidding than anything else, although repeal of the 36-month cap on home oxygen rental is a close second.
AMARILLO, Texas — In a special Q&A for HomeCare Monday, health care attorney Jeff Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato, addresses the purchase of leads.
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SAN DIEGO — Oxygen systems manufacturer SeQual Technologies has appointed Adrian Knight director of sales, the Americas. Knight will be responsible for sales team leadership as well as general management responsibilities within North and South America.
LONGMONT, Colo. — Thomas Rossnagel has taken over the reins of Sunrise Medical-Mobility, the Longmont, Colo.-based company announced.
Rossnagel, most recently senior vice president and managing director of Sunrise Europe, succeeds Michael N. Cannizzaro, who will continue as chairman of the company's board of directors. The new president and CEO said he was “thrilled” with the new position.
HME providers who choose not to become accredited at this time need to submit an amended CMS-855S application that reflects their voluntary termination, CMS announced last week. That will prevent the provider from being revoked and subsequently barred from the Medicare program, the agency said. For pharmacies that choose not to become accredited but wish to remain a DMEPOS provider for drugs and biologicals only, an amended CMS 855S must be completed.