Archive: April 2003

WASHINGTON — CMS is raising reimbursement for managed Medicare health plans beyond the 2% increase mandated by law. It is also phasing in new adjustment methodology to help Medicare managed care plans that enroll the sickest beneficiaries. The payment increases and the new methodology, which CMS claims is more accurate, are consistent with the Bush administration's pledge to sweeten the pot for health plans that manage Medicare beneficiaries. The new risk adjustment methodology may induce...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Permobil is aiming for nothing short of a nationwide sea-change in credentialing for rehab providers. Last month, the company launched a trade group called the National Rehab Credentialing Association. The group's main goal is to raise money to fund credentialing efforts like the one currently underway in Tennessee. Those efforts would typically involve the employment of state-level lobbyists. “Once the 50 states are certified, we'll close it down,” said Darren...

No more MDI litmus test for nebs With Lisa Smith Q: I've heard that nebulizer drug claims are being audited and overpayments are being assessed on the basis of a lack of documentation that the physician tried / considered a metered dose inhaler (MDI) prior to prescribing a nebulizer. What can my company do to avoid such an overpayment? A: Hopefully, recent changes made by the DMERCs will eliminate your concern. Effective April 1, 2003, the Nebulizer Medical Policy has been revised to remove the...

Medical Device Group Medical Device Group introduces the Quick and Easy Nasal Cannula, and several other new products. The Quick and Easy Cannula is a revolutionary benchmark concerning patient comfort and one-size fits all adjustment design. One cannula will fit all faces comfortably. IM Systems IM Systems announces a miniature at-home monitor for sleep apnea. ApneaCheck is portable, allowing patients total freedom of movement while sleeping. About the size of a pager, the non-tethered unit is...

OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok. — Breathing Disorder Services has embarked on a growth strategy and taken to heart new evidence that using CPAP to treat obstructive sleep apnea can also alleviate cardiac problems. Since January, the sleep specialist has opened four new locations (Colorado Springs, Co.; Hemet, Calif., Kingman, Ariz.; and Greensboro, N.C.) to go with its existing locations in Oklahoma City, Houston, and South Hill, Va. The company's strategy now is to market its services heavily to cardio-vascular...

Scene I: A provider of diabetic shoes contacts a referral source, such as a podiatrist, and tries to persuade the source that he should refer his patients to the provider. What should he say? According to vendors, the provider's No. 1 selling point should be having trained personnel on staff. Scene II: A provider of diabetic supplies contacts a referral source, such as an endocrinologist, and tries to persuade the source that he should refer his patients to the provider. What should he say? According...

GREELEY, Colo. — At least for the immediate future, Don Paul is going to be competing with someone he knows inside and out — himself. In 1991, he opened Don Paul Respiratory here, which he sold to Rotech in 1996. In April, two months after Rotech laid off him and a bunch of other employees around the country as part of a company wide restructuring, he opened Paul Home Oxygen Service. “It's kind of strange — I'm in competition with my own name,” Paul said about...

ORLANDO — Rotech Healthcare's fourth quarter net revenues came in at $154.9 million, a sliver less than the $156 million it tallied in the same period a year ago. Net earnings for the fourth quarter were $2.1 million as compared to net earnings of $1.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2001. Respiratory therapy equipment and services represented 81.4% of total revenue for the fourth quarter, a 4.6% increase over the fourth quarter of last year. Home respiratory therapy revenues represented...

Ita-Med Gabrialla, the women's product division of ITA-MED, now offers lace-top thigh highs in two compression levels: 18-20mm & 20-30mm. Lined at the top with smooth silicone bands, they stay secure without binding. They come in three colors: beige, nude, & black. Bellisse Bellisse's new Compressure Comfort Bra for lymphedema and other post surgical needs features the unique, patent-pending Compressure Comfort System. The bra utilizes expert engineering, state-of-the-art fabrication, and high...

According to the growing number of HME providers converting their operations from paper to cyberspace, there are two big steps in the process. The first big step is working up the courage to do it. The other is a big sigh of relief once it's done. In fact, several providers say their only regret for going electronic is that they didn't do it sooner. While it may be premature to call the shift away from paper a revolution or even a trend, industry observers say provider interest in document imaging...