Murrysville, Pa. Respironics has appointed John Miclot president and CEO of the respiratory products manufacturer, effective Dec. 1. Miclot succeeds James Liken, who has been president and CEO since 1999. Liken will assume the newly created role of vice chairman of the company, which is an advisory position only, he said during a press briefing last month. Liken added that he will remain active in the Alexandria, Va.-based American Association for Homecare and in government relations. Miclot most recently was chief strategic officer of Respironics and previously was president of the company’s home care division. He joined the company in 1998 as group vice president, sleep disorders, and had been senior vice president, sales and marketing, for Theradyne, which was acquired by Respironics in 1998….

Invacare Debuts Value Model Subsidiary, Reports 3Q Earnings Elyria, Ohio Invacare debuted its value model subsidiary, Professional Medical Imports (PMI), at Medtrade in October. PMI products are marketed and sold under the ProBasics brand. “In order for Invacare Corporation to participate in the value segment of the market, we launched PMI, a wholly owned subsidiary,” said Lou Slangen, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Invacare, who added that PMI caters to “providers looking for basic products where pricing is the primary driver.” PMI, based in Marlboro, N.J., has distribution centers in Calhoun, Ga., and Edison, N.J. A third location in Southern California is scheduled to open early this month. Scott Hassel is president. Invacare’s net earnings for the third quarter of 2003, ended…

Atlanta More than 21,000 home medical equipment providers and manufacturers packed Medtrade 2003, held Oct. 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Highlights of the annual conference and tradeshow included updates on federal and state legislative issues, innovative new products and interactive booths. For a wrap-up of the event, see the “Medtrade 2003 Report” on page 32. For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.

ACHC Announces New Affiliations: The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Raleigh, N.C., announced new affiliations with the Amarillo, Texas-based law firm Brown & Fortunato, and the Oxford, Mich.-based buying group Essentially Women. Brown & Fortunato, whose attorneys specialize in representing durable medical equipment companies, hospitals and physicians, will provide ACHC’s customers with educational materials and legal and legislative updates, the organization said. ACHC’s strategic partnership with Essentially Women will focus on standardizing business practices within the women’s health industry, according to Cindy Ciardo of Essentially Women. In other ACHC-related news, The Scooter Store, New Braunfels, Texas, announced it has met all of the initial requirements for ACHC accreditation. Continental Home Healthcare Acquires Rehab Company: Continental Home Healthcare, Glendale, Calif., has acquired MK Medical, a customized…

What a year this has been — and it’s only October. We’ve watched our troops pull out for war with Iraq, and then watched that war on television. Mysterious diseases like Norwalk (the virus that’s stalking cruise ships) and monkeypox (what the heck is that?!) continue to be worrisome, and medical professionals tell us to prepare for SARS The Sequel this winter. A string of corporate financial scandals has littered the headlines. Even kitchen diva Martha Stewart has been charged with insider trading, not exactly “a good thing.” Our computers have been invaded by scourges like Blaster and SoBig, which were, in fact, so big that for a few days they threatened national business. In August, we experienced a blackout that left 50 million people…

Invacare Announces Two Acquisitions: Invacare, Elyria, Ohio, has expanded its reach to further the company’s goal of reaching $2 billion in revenue by 2006, acquiring Carroll Healthcare, a London, Ontario, Canada-based bed manufacturer, and Motion Concepts, a Toronto-based manufacturer of power tilt and recline systems for power wheelchairs. A privately owned business prior to the acquisition, Motion Concepts will continue to operate independently, Invacare explained. “Motion will retain its own design and engineering staff and sales organization,” Invacare said. Carroll also will retain its own manufacturing and administration. The companies did not disclose the terms of either acquisition. Medline Expands Wound Care Product Line: Medline Industries, Mundelein, Ill. has expanded its wound care line to include gauze sponge products, specifically, a premium line of non-woven…

In the shadow of Universal Studios, a few short blocks from the streets where stars like Jane Wyman and John Wayne made names for themselves, sits a community drugstore that caters to North Hollywood’s less visible residents — the Hispanic, Russian and African American citizens who have made Tinsel Town their home. PX Drugstore has served this neighborhood for more than 27 years, staying true to a concept that keeps the store from going the way of silent movies: “We keep track of what’s going on in our community,” says Jeff Willard, PX’s home health coordinator. Noticing a growing demand for home care items, PX added a full-service home medical equipment component in November 2001. This year, heeding the health care headlines, the store beat…