Archive: March 2003

WASHINGTON - The OIG issued a fraud alert last month, warning providers about something they should already know: It's not OK to hire telemarketers to make unsolicited telephone calls to Medicare beneficiaries and try to sell them DME. “It might be common knowledge, but apparently it is being done,” OIG spokesperson Judy Holtz told HME News. Industry sources say the OIG has begun investigating a number of companies for the infraction, but Holtz declined comment on that speculation. To...

IR, NCB and remaining profitable WITH MICHAEL BARISH Q. With Medicare cuts looming under the authority of IR and the continued threat of competitive biding, what steps should I be taking to ensure that my company remains profitable? A. There is no question: In the very near future Medicare reimbursement is going to be cut if not by one mechanism than by the other. In order to remain profitable, providers must learn how to operate more efficiently and effectively. Thus they must become low cost...

Portable oxygen equipment is now lighter, easier to operate, more cost effective and is as therapeutically sound as stationary systems, respiratory manufacturers say. As a result, the referral source community sorely needs to be brought up to speed on the new systems' attributes, vendors contend. But before providers can spread the word, they need a doctor's appointment. That in itself is proving to be challenge. And even those lucky enough to get a face-to-face meeting aren't guaranteed success...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Internet has made it easier than ever for patients to obtain rehab equipment, and Rehab Designs, which recently launched a new Web site, is well aware of the concerns and challenges the Internet presents providers and end-users “A lot of rehab companies offer (on-line) services,” said Tim Barrett, operations manager for Rehab Designs in Louisville, Ky., “They'll sell you anything.” Rehab Designs won't make that mistake, Barrett promised. It's counter...

AAHomecare names new RATC director ALEXANDRIA, Va. - AAHomecare announced in March that Sharon Hildenbrandt has been hired as the new executive director of the Rehab and Assistive Technology Council (RATC). The position was formerly held by Mary-Lacey Reuter, who left to take a special assistant position with the FDA. AAHomecare also plans to name a new director of communications within the up coming weeks. USM's website offers electronic newsletter FLORISSANT, Mo. - United Seating and Mobility launched...

WAUKESHA, Wisc. - Ortho-Kinetics, a pioneering lift chair manufacturer and scooter dealer that reigned as a powerhouse in the1980s, has filed papers to liquidate its assets in state court. The court on Jan. 31 appointed a receiver under Chapter 128. In the meantime, the company is looking for a buyer. Ortho-Kinetics' demise cannot be traced to one shattering blow, but to a combination of forces that eroded the company's position as a $40 million player in the 1980s to a mere sliver of its former...

YARMOUTH, Maine - Seating and mobility manufacturers are doing what they can to police an industry that is becoming overwhelmed with unqualified dealers by initiating guidelines and setting standards dealers must meet in order to sell their products. Currently there are no regulations in place stopping anyone from selling equipment, such as power wheelchairs. But manufacturers of rehab equipment are making it more difficult for untrained companies to sell their products by setting regulations to...

WALLACE, N.C. - The old Jetsons television cartoon may not have featured a drug store in its fanciful depictions of life in the future, but if George ever had to pick up some meds, the pharmacist he visited might have looked something like the robot Italo Vanoletti installed in his store here recently. Distributed by McKesson, the AutoScript III robot at Hi-Mediq pharmacy is a smart mechanical arm that picks pills from any of the hundreds of cells that slide out of a surrounding cabinet. The arm...

The ABCs of ABC ARLINGTON, Texas - As a business consultant who spends about 15% of his time working with healthcare companies, Tom Pryor is practiced in spelling out the benefits of ABC (activities based costing). So in a recent interview, that's what HME News asked him to do. Here's what he said: HME News: You said you'd be remiss if you didn't tell DMEs to give ABC a try. Why is that? Pryor: The DME and home healthcare industry has done a wonderful job of helping others, and now it's time to...

YARMOUTH, Maine - Providers of seating and mobility equipment hold them frequently. Some use hospitals and rehab centers; others go as far as building on to their current facilities to make room. But what is a seating clinic? Simply put, seating clinics offer an opportunity for providers and licensed physicians to meet one-on-one with clients at one location to assess the needs and recommend the right wheelchair or seating equipment for that individual. Although seating clinics are considered a...