Archive: August 2004

The recent U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California decision in the case of Maximum Comfort, Inc. v. Tommy G. Thompson states that Medicare's auditors cannot request any documents beyond the CMN from a supplier to prove the need for a wheelchair. This is not necessarily a step forward. As a clinician who has prescribed and documented the need for wheelchairs for the last 15 years, I would love nothing more than to reduce the documentation burden on both clinicians and suppliers....

COLUMBIA, S.C. - In August, NSC Director Nancy Parker answered in writing several questions submitted to her from HME News regarding the NSC's mailroom. Here are her answers: HME News: Why does the NSC require that all official provider correspondence be sent through the mail or by a courier? In some instances, it seems faxing a document would be faster. Nancy Parker: The NSC, acting for CMS, requires that all applications, re-enrollments and changes of information be sent through the mail or by...

Respironics MURRYSVILLE, Pa. - Domestic sales of Respironics' sleep therapy products jumped in the fourth quarter by 28% over the same quarter last year. Overall, revenues increased by 16% to $206 million for the company's fourth quarter, and to $760 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. That compares to $630 million in sales for previous year. Most of the company's growth was organic since its acquisition of Novametrix and Fuji RC were completed in 2002. Invacare ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare's...

Non-profit group seeks info on wheelchair access OAKLAND, Calif. - The Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) through its Health Access Project is conducting an investigation into Medicare beneficiary access in light of Medicare's in-the-home coverage policy for wheelchairs and scooters. The organization is asking providers to submit comments if they have been unable to get Medicare reimbursement, or if they have stopped accepting claims for power wheelchairs for use outside the home because they know...

Apria promotes COO to president LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Apria Healthcare has promoted Lawrence A. Mastrovich to president in addition to his existing title of chief operating officer, which he has held since 2002. A 1984 graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Mastrovich began his career with Apria Healthcare in Philadelphia, Pa. as a management trainee. During his 20-year career, he assumed progressively more responsible roles as district manager, regional vice president of operations, and...

FOLEY, Ala. - Respiratory Distributors will abandon its Core line of programs, introduced about four years ago, in favor of some new product lines currently in development, said an RDI official. When first introduced, the Core programs were expected to expand RDI's offerings into a more diverse mix of pharmaceuticals, respiratory aids, sleep aids and medical equipment. They included PharmCORE, RespiCORE, SleepCORE, CustomCORE, FinanceCORE, GlyCORE and VisionCORE. Several of the Core programs did...

ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare announced in July that it was opening its second wholly owned facility on the Chinese mainland, this time in Kunshan. Like its Suzhou facility, the Kunshan plant sprawls over more than 40,000 square feet of manufacturing space in addition to offices and test labs. The two facilities are unique in the HME industry. While most manufacturers operate joint-venture partnerships, contract out to original equipment manufacturers in China, Invacare has abandoned that approach. “We...

Your billing staff with Sarah Hanna Q: How do I know if I am under or over staffed in my billing department? A: HME staffing ratios for billing departments are as follows. Automated: one biller to 500 patient accounts. Manual: one biller to 250 patient accounts. However, along with this rule of thumb, you must consider the following: 1) Employee skill level: More accounts can be given to a highly trained employee than to a less skilled or new employee. 2) Payer mix: The more payers you can bill...

DANBURY, Conn. - Three years ago, some industry insiders watched with amusement as industrial gas giant Praxair moved gingerly in the home medical equipment market, like a swimmer testing the water with his toe. “If they are going to get serious about home respiratory and the broader HME business, they've got to make major acquisitions and not onesies and twosies,” scoffed one guru. “That makes sense for Lincare because they are rounding out their network, but not Praxair.” Well,...

I am writing in response to your article published in the June issue of HME News, “Davey and Goliath: Doc slings doubt at sleep academy.” The article suggests that the position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians, as represented in the position statements published last year, represents a “filibuster” against the use of portable monitoring. This view is both inaccurate and, I believe,...