WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 30, 2017)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) is calling on the contractors administering TRICARE military health plans nationwide to reprocess claims for home medical equipment for the last six months of 2016 on account of provisions in recent health care legislation affecting Medicare reimbursement rates.
HME
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 18, 2017)—CMS published guidance to the states on Friday, January 13, in an effort to give strategies to the state to ensure access to DMEPOS is available. This was issued due to comments from 2016 on CMS 1651-P and 2011 comments submitted in response to Federal Register Request for Comment on alignment under Medicaid and Medicare. While CMS cannot enforce these suggestions, we believe that they would benefit both states and providers.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (January 12, 2017)—Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical products, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sidhil Group Limited, effective January 6, 2017. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
WATERLOO, Iowa (January 11, 2017)—Planning is well underway for Essentially Women’s annual education conference and trade show.
Focus: The EW Conference will take place September 16–18 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The three-day Focus Conference will provide EW members with continuing education and training opportunities, resources to improve operational efficiencies and connect women’s health care professionals, industry consultants and vendors.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 31, 2016)—CMS issued a final rule last week, covering end-stage renal care and changes to the DME competitive bidding program. Provisions of interest to the home medical equipment community include:
Bid Ceilings—Bid ceilings for future rounds will be based on the 2015 fee unadjusted fee schedule, instead of CMS's earlier proposal to establish bid ceilings at the current CBA pricing.
NAHC to File Lawsuit to Stop Pre-Claim
A national association is striking back against the “failed” Pre-Claim Review Demonstration (PCRD) with a plan to file a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)
WASHINGTON, D.C (October 19, 2016)—A study released today by the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) shows that Medicare reimbursement rates for home medical equipment cover just 88 percent of overall costs for companies providing this service.
INDIANPOLIS (October 13, 2016)—Cryogenic Solutions, LLC, acquired Inventory Solutions, Inc. a national supplier of refurbished respiratory products to the home medical equipment (HME) industry.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (October 12, 2016)—Compass Health Brands announced the acquisition of the Professional Medical Imports Division (PMI) and the ProBasics brand from Invacare Corporation. ProBasics, a line of durable medical equipment (DME), has long been Invacare’s value brand for home medical equipment (HME) providers who are seeking quality DME products at a price that supports today’s reimbursement environment.
ATLANTA (September 16, 2016)—Early registration for Medtrade, the nation’s premiere HME trade show, ends at midnight September 24. The show will once again be held in its familiar home at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, from October 31 through November 3.
WATERLOO, Iowa (September 7, 2016)—VGM’s Government Relations team is spearheading a grassroots effort to recruit hospital executives to join the fight against Medicare’s most recent cut to reimbursements.
On July 1 DME providers incurred an additional 25 percent cut for Medicare reimbursements due to the Competitive Bidding Program. Many sectors across the health care industry are feeling the aftershock of difficulties stemming from the DME industry.
LENEXA, Kan. (August 31, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc., is hosting a free webinar for attendees on Tuesday, September 20 at 12 p.m. CST, 1 p.m. EST to discuss if providers should further pursue cash sales and stay competitive by becoming a non-participating Medicare provider.
WASHINGTON, D.C (August 26, 2016)—Home medical equipment providers who serve our nation’s military personnel are being hit with shocking new Medicare reimbursement cuts thanks to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to widely apply rates from its competitive bidding program outside its original footprint in metro areas to now encompass the entire country.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2016)—Do you know a champion for the HME profession? The AAHomecare is now accepting nominations for an AAHomecare member who has made an exceptional contribution to the homecare sector throughout their career. Attributes that will be recognized include:
PHOENIX (August 17, 2016)—The Arizona Medical Equipment Suppliers Association (AZMESA) announced on August 11, 2016 it is taking the opportunity to build on six consecutive years of membership growth, including growth in 2016, to transition to Southwest Medical Equipment Suppliers Association (SWMESA), effective September 1, 2016.
MEDIA, Penn. (July 26, 2016)—Apacheta Corporation, a mobile business-solutions provider, today announced the company has nearly doubled its customer base and increased revenue by 75 percent since June 2015.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has commissioned Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC to conduct a full study of suppliers’ fixed and variable costs for furnishing the services associated with supplying durable medical equipment. While limited cost study analyses have been performed in the past, this will be the first to consider DME in multiple categories that are under threat by competitive bidding pricing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—The Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CQRC)—a coalition of the nation’s home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturing companies—commended Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), David Loebsack (D-IA), Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and their colleagues in the United States House of Representatives, for passing the Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment (PADME) Act (H.R.
Jeff ShieldsWINTER HAVEN, Fla. (July 5, 2016)—3B Medical Products is happy to announce the addition of Jeff Shields to the staff as the new vice president of sales. Shields brings more than 30 years of HME manufacturer experience with him in management, sales and distribution.
WATERLOO, Iowa (May 10, 2016)—As part of an aggressive grassroots effort to advocate for the HME industry, VGM’s Government Relations team has been coordinating members to testify during the Small Business Administration’s regional regulatory fairness hearings.
LENEXA, Kan. (April 26, 2016)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc. is hosting a free webinar for attendees on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at 1:00 Central, 2:00 EST, to outline how HME providers can grow their collections despite the tightened margins of the industry. The webinar is entitled “Five Steps to Surviving HME Reimbursement Challenges in 2016.”
DAVISON, MICH (April 14, 2016)—IMCO Home Care and Universal Software Solutions, Inc. announced a partnership to offer Healthcare Data Management System (HDMS) to DME/HME providers. IMCO launched their Home Care initiative, a dedicated membership group serving Independent DME/HME dealers throughout the United States, to provide its members the best in homecare manufacturers at contracted prices.