Archive: September 2003
HIPAA anxiety: Will it be Y2K all over again?
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
HIPAA anxiety: Will it be Y2K all over again?
WASHINGTON - Roughly 94% of Medicare Part B providers may expect to meet the Oct. 16 deadline for HIPAA's electronic transaction standards and code sets, but that doesn't mean they're breathing easy.
Among the top worries plaguing providers regarding the latest HIPAA requirement: Will payers reduce reimbursement when they switch from their own local codes to HIPAA's universal codes? While the DMERCs appear ready to go, rumors abound about the readiness...
Maine Medicaid contracts out incontinence supplies
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
AUGUSTA, Maine - The state of Maine has hired Invacare Supply Group to be the exclusive distributor of incontinence and diabetic supplies to participating Medicaid providers.
The two-year contract comes with a three-year option and goes into effect Oct. 1. The move will save the state $750,000 over its two year budget cycle that began July 1, said Newell Augur, spokesman for the Maine Department of Human Services, which includes the Medicare program.
Maine Medicaid reimburses providers the wholesale...
Medicare reform still stalled
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The conference committee trying to reconcile the House and Senate versions of Medicare reform legislation was bogged down in a dispute over a rural hospital provision in mid-September.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., wants more money for hospitals in rural hospitals. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., does not. The reluctance of the Thomas camp to budge on this issue so angered Grassley that he pulled his staff people out of the reconciliation talks in protest.
In the meantime, the president is...
Politics
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
Where is the service component?
With Kay Cox
Q. Why does Medicare cover service costs for physician-administered drugs but not the costs associated with administering inhalation and infusion therapies?
A. Physicians are reimbursed for the costs of administering Medicare part B drugs because there is a service component built into the physician fee schedule. In contrast, there is not a separate service component in the DME payment schedule - an issue that has forced homecare pharmacies to use the...
Financial
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
Is 10 days too long?
With Tom Pryor
Q. I am frustrated by how long it takes to get my monthly accounting reports. Should it take 10 days after a month's end to receive the prior month's profit and loss statement? What is best practice?
A. You have a right to be frustrated. While most HME businesses take seven to 10 calendar days to close the books, best practice organizations take only two to three days. Time saved can be used to clean up the balance sheet, analyze product line profitability or...
Bariatric bed business is booming
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
With an American obesity rate projected to reach 40% by 2005, the bariatric niche market is expanding nearly as fast as waistlines, manufacturers say.
Belleville, Ill.-based Roho reports sales of bariatric bedding products are climbing 15% per year. “It's definitely an emerging market,” said Greg Garland, Roho vice president of wound care sales.
Bariatric bed frames and support surfaces are now being reinforced to handle up to 1,000-pound patients. “We have a lot of patients in...
Deal out wheeler dealers
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
Editor, HME News
Let's cut to the chase about the current power wheelchair fiasco in Houston: First, and most importantly, this is not an HME industry problem. This is a Medicare problem, and this is a DMERC problem.
Say what you will about the marketing strategies of the geriatric mobility suppliers across the country but first, what do you say to this: 31,000 claims for power wheelchair reimbursement, or just about one-fifth of the 159,000 claims filed last year, come out of a single county in...
Extra effort rewarded in women’s health market
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
Women's health might just be the biggest category in the home medical equipment field, providing a host of opportunities for providers.
It is also one of the most demanding specialties in the industry.
Serving women's health, from post-mastectomy to maternity, requires a huge commitment from providers. Not only do these patients need clinically skilled technicians, they want a provider who demonstrates sincerity, empathy and discretion.
Referral sources have exceptionally high provider standards...
Drop shipping: ‘This is easier and it takes less time’
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
MANGUM, Okla. - Before using Invacare Supply Group's drop shipping services, American Medi-Serve took inventory management to a new level - the ceiling, to be precise.
“I would order once a month and we're talking 100 cases of diapers and 200 cases of enteral nutrition,” said owner Donna Martin. “The store was a mess all the time because there was so much stuff in here.”
Not only did navigating the office become a challenge, but the logistics of using the U.S. Postal Service...
Strategy
September 30, 2003HME News Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. - Former Rotech President Steve Griggs and his new HME roll-up appear to be adding locations right and left, frequently staffing them with former Rotech managers.
“It's a great strategy,” said Dexter Braff, president of The Braff Group, an M&A firm. “It is not uncommon for people after they get through their non-competes to get back into the business. When they do, they find that the relationships that they had are not that difficult to re-establish. So when they...