WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2019)—AAHomecare’s updated quarterly supplier number analysis shows a decrease in the number of suppliers. As of January 2019, there are approximately 6,143 unique traditional DMEPOS suppliers and 9,195 traditional DMEPOS locations, which is a 37% decrease in unique suppliers and 35% decrease in locations since the inception of the competitive bidding program.
HME
How HME providers serve as the frontline for patient well-being
LAS VEGAS and AMSTERDAM (April 18, 2019)—Royal Philips, a provider of health technology, introduced new solutions and services at Medtrade Spring 2019. During the show, Philips featured its latest offerings designed to further enhance effective and efficient care for patients with chronic respiratory and sleep conditions. These include the new, patient-focused DreamStation Go Heated Humidifier and DreamWisp, as well as the recent two-way integration of resupply with NikoHealth.
LAS VEGAS (April 19, 2019)—Registration numbers tracked ahead leading up to Medtrade Spring at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, and organizers say most everyone who registered ending up making the trip.
WATERLOO, Iowa (April 10, 2019)—VGM has announced the schedule for its annual Heartland Conference, which takes place June 10–12, 2019.
VGM’s Heartland Conference, now in its 18th year, is a two-day, members-only conference and networking event. This event offers education related to the home medical equipment (HME) industry in areas such as retail, rehab, marketing, accessibility, compliance and leadership, among others.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 5, 2019)—Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report titled, “Medicare And Medicaid CMS Should Assess Documentation Necessary to Identify Improper Payments.” For the report, the GAO examined the portion of the improper payment rates for Medicare and Medicaid programs that are attributed to insufficient documentation.
ATLANTA (April 5, 2019)—Brightree introduced Advanced Analytics, an analytics platform for HMEs that highlights workflow insights, KPI tracking and peer benchmarking, without requiring users to aggregate data themselves.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (March 20, 2019)—Legislators and staffers in both the U.S. Congress and state legislatures have a wide range of knowledge and perceptions about the home medical equipment (HME) industry. However, there is one question that often comes up in meetings with these individuals on a given policy issue: “How does this impact patients?”
TUCKER, Ga. (March 11, 2019)—Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation (GBHCMF) honored this year’s grant recipients at its 14th Annual Grant Award Luncheon, held on Feb. 7, 2019 at the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center. Fifty-one grant recipients were recognized at the event, where the GBHCMF Board honored those ministries throughout the state that have demonstrated effective and efficient direct health care services to their local communities.
ATLANTA (March 7, 2019)—Brightree announced a new pharmacy suite for home infusion therapy providers and home medical equipment (HME) pharmacies to help them optimize business processes, more easily meet compliance requirements and provide the highest quality patient care.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 7, 2019)—PlayMaker Health, a post-acute growth platform, together with Team@Work founder and corporate business coach Ty Bello, announced a partnership to offer the technology and consulting services that home medical equipment (HME) and infusion companies need to drive and maintain sustained growth in the post-acute market.
How contract reviews and defined procedures can alter relationships with your problematic payers
New CEUs and networking roundtables offer attendees progressive possibilities
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 22, 2019)—Over the past two and a half years, AAHomecare’s payer relations efforts have helped stop or limit proposed Medicaid reimbursement cuts in dozens of states, limited the spread of sole-source and narrow-network contract arrangements, and successfully lobbied TRICARE to provide retroactive relief for HME reimbursements based on the 2016 CURES bill.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (February 14, 2019)—On February 12th, the Home Medical Equipment & Services Association of New England (HOMES) was invited by Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Region 1 director John McGough to the CMS and HHS Region 1 office to listen and understand issues related to Medicare policies and home medical equipment.
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 12, 2019)—IMCO Home Care (IHC) announces the promotion of Keith Boivin to executive vice president and the hiring of Lee Wheatley as the operations manager. IHC is a national group purchasing organization (GPO), servicing the homecare market that includes DME companies, independent pharmacies, and hospice providers.
AKRON, Ohio (February 7, 2018)—Congratulations to Miller’s Rental and Sales, Inc., celebrating 70 years of service to communities in Northeast Ohio this year— the official celebration will take place in June. In an interview this week with WAKR radio, John Miller, president, provided a unique overview of the company’s beginnings as a party rental business to the multiple location durable medical equipment business it is today.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 7, 2019)—With legislators tackling a myriad of issues on Capitol Hill, participating in face-to-face meetings to build relationships and share personal experiences are the key to breaking through the clutter. Join AAHomecare for the Washington Legislative Conference, May 22-23 to move HME policy priorities to the forefront of Congress.
TOPEKA, Kan. (January 24, 2019)—The Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment has proposed cutting rates for most HME items to just 65 percent of the Medicare non-rural fee schedule, effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2019.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 24, 2019)—While the budget impasse and government shutdown continue to dominate the headlines, AAHomecare continues engagement with industry champions on Capitol Hill and staffers on House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over Medicare and health care-related issues.
Recent gains won't slow down industry leaders