WASHINGTON--The United States has intervened in a lawsuit alleging McKesson Corp., San Francisco, and several other companies submitted false claims to Medicare arising from illegal kickbacks and the establishment of sham durable medical equipment suppliers, the Department of Justice announced Oct. 6.
HomeCare News
REDDING, Calif.--The U.S. Supreme Court refused last week to review an appeals court decision that further documentation beyond a CMN could be required for Medicare to pay a claim for a power wheelchair. But petitioner Tom Lambert said he'll continue the fight and will likely pursue another appeal.
Lambert, the owner of Redding, Calif.-based Maximum Comfort, said he was not surprised by the Oct. 6 decision.
TOKYO--Japanese firm Teijin Ltd. has chalked up its third U.S. purchase this year, announcing its acquisition of Clifton, N.Y.-based Home Therapy Equipment on Thursday.
Associated Healthcare Systems, the company’s U.S. consolidated subsidiary, has bought all outstanding shares of Home Therapy Equipment. CEO Donald White of Associated Healthcare, Amherst, N.Y., which itself was bought by Teijin in January, will double as CEO of the newly acquired firm.
POWAY, Calif.--ResMed said last week it has launched an international study to investigate the impact of central sleep apnea treatment on patients with heart failure.
BALTIMORE--On Oct. 1, CMS began publishing on its Web site the system edits it uses to detect certain billing errors.
BALTIMORE--The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' move to scrap its current Program Advisory and Oversight Committee, set up to advise the agency on competitive bidding, raises a slew of unanswered questions, some current members said last week.
ATLANTA--With just a small window of time before the Jan. 1, 2009, implementation of a 9.5 percent reimbursement cut, complex rehab stakeholders are uniting to build a case for exemption from the reduction.
ATLANTA--Both supply and prices eased last week, but a gasoline shortage after Hurricane Ike took providers in some areas of the Southeast by surprise.
ATLANTA--There's less than a year left. If you want to do business with Medicare, you must become accredited by Sept. 30, 2009.
Which accrediting organization is best for your company? How do you begin the process? How much does it cost? Find the answers to all your questions at Accreditation Central, Oct. 28-30 during Medtrade at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
ATLANTA--The fallout from the nation’s tanking economy is, at least initially, taking the form of a credit deep freeze for home medical equipment providers, but those who are prepared can weather the financial storm, industry experts said last week.
ATLANTA--With just weeks to go until Nov. 4, HME industry leaders are encouraging providers to seize a window of opportunity and make sure federal legislators, recessed to stump for election candidates, hear the positive aspects of home care.
Many providers, manufacturers and other stakeholders prepared to do just that as they announced a flurry of political activity.
ARLINGTON, Va.--In a proactive move to provide CMS and federal legislators alike with concrete strategies for stemming fraud and abuse in the home medical equipment industry, the American Association for Homecare is crafting a plan that could be presented by the end of the year.
Among its possible components are increased scrutiny of new HME providers, real–time claims analysis, accreditation and unannounced site visits.
MURRYSVILLE, Pa.--While the DME MACs' re-issued PAP local coverage determination still prohibits HME providers' involvement in home sleep testing, the new LCD has been characterized by some in the industry as a "kinder" version of the sleep policy. (See HomeCare Monday, Sept. 22.)
ATLANTA--Weeks after tabling the Sept. 1 implementation date for the local coverage determination for PAP devices, the DME MACs last week issued a revised LCD that eased at least some of the restrictions included in their first version of the medical policy.
HOUSTON--With the death toll at 60 as of Friday and more than a million people still without power in Texas alone, residents across nine states moved into recovery mode last week in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
Although rescue teams concluded their work and had begun pulling out of areas along the Texas coast, where the ferocious storm hit in the wee hours Sept. 13, the lack of power and gasoline in Houston continued to create problems for home-based patients and HME providers.
PHILADELPHIA--Victims of Hurricane Ike who lost or left their CPAPs behind may be able to get their equipment replaced thanks to a disaster relief program operated by Awake In America.
BALTIMORE--In an Open Door Forum Wednesday, CMS included a caution on repeal of the oxygen equipment transfer called for under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act--although the agency didn't answer any of the myriad questions providers have raised about the impending 36-month rental cap.