Archive: September 2005

BOSTON - Children with asthma whose fathers have a history of the disease have a greater risk of serious airway constriction than children whose fathers have no such history, according to an article in the September issue of the American Journal or Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. According to Benjamin A. Raby, MD, an author of the study, childhood airway hyperresponsiveness is an important determinant of long-term outcome with regard to airway growth and maturation, and long function decline....

PITTSBURGH - A prime concern that providers have with CMS's proposal to use prescriptions for power wheelchair claims is their ability to get supporting documentation from physicians. While providers don't need to submit supporting documentation with their claims, they need to have that information on file, in case of further review or a post-payment audit. Michael Boninger, a physician and executive director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Assistive Technology, part of UPitt's medical...

Q: What change to the appeals process will most affect how a supplier responds to a DMERC audit? A: Changes to the appeals process are in the works. Of these changes the one that will require the most work by suppliers is the requirement that all additional evidence be presented no later than the Qualified Independent Contractor level unless good cause can be found. This means that progress notes and other documentation in support of medical necessity must be presented much earlier in the process....

While homecare is a vital sector of America's healthcare system, it faces a unique range of challenges and pressures - whether competitive bidding (a.k.a restrictive contracting), continuing reimbursement cuts or other regulatory obstacles. But as these profiles of homecare leaders under the age of 40 illustrate, there is a whole generation of talented, passionate providers who are more than equal to the challenges. And it's a good thing, because the importance and the value of homecare will only...

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Although running his father's HME business wasn't in his future plans when Jason Seeley studied communications at the University of Dayton in the mid-1990s, things just worked out that way. And nearly one year into his tenure as president of Dasco Home Medical Equipment , he's glad it did. Sharing the leadership helm with his younger sister, Rachel, Seeley retrospectively sees that his situation was destiny. "When I was in college, I never talked about working at Dasco," he said....

ATLANTA - Big name players in rehab, including Dr. Robert Hoover, a former DMERC official who's now on board at Sunrise Medical, are hosting an educational session at Medtrade dedicated to the industry's changing landscape. The session, "Unraveling the Mystery: Medicare and the New World of Power," will school rehab providers on the cards they've been dealt this year: everything from the national coverage determination to the proposal to drop the CMN to the draft local coverage determination recently...

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz made headlines a few weeks ago when he revealed the company will spend more on health insurance for its employees this year than it will on raw materials for brewing coffee. While Schultz's focus was on the cost of premiums, the fundamental issue is the cost of medical care. On the HME front, we're faced with a different problem. We have at least a partial solution to rising costs: equipment that makes it easier and more comfortable for patients to stay at home rather...

LAFAYETTE, La. - The Better Business Bureau of Acadiana released an alert recently warning residents of door-to-door salesmen selling power wheelchairs and scooters. The bureau, which serves seven parishes, believes there are several companies operating across the state and to the east and west from Texas to Mississippi. Representatives from the companies are showing up at the doors of Medicare beneficiaries with what appear to be legitimate forms. They then tell beneficiaries that they may be eligible...

PITTSBURG - MedSage Technologies just closed its current round of financing, having raised just over $1 million. The single largest investor was BlueTree Capital, which contributed more than $300,000. Innovation Works invested $200,000 and the remaining capital came from angel investors and current company members. "We're in an exciting growth period right now," said Bob Crouch, CEO and chairman of the company, which provides patient care technologies. MedSage has moved into new offices near the...

NEW ORLEANS - As days go by and much of New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast are still wet and without electricity, the HME industry is contemplating the long-term repercussions of the disaster. Even for those whose paths Hurricane Katrina spared, the future is uncertain. In mid-September, Kent Louviere said Acadiana Plastics Manufacturing in New Iberia, La., was currently operating at 100% capacity, but it might not be so lucky in a month or two, if it can't replenish its supply of resin,...