Archive: November 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. - If you want to nominate a RESNA board of director, you have until Dec. 1. Visit www.resna.org to download a nomination form. Individuals should nominate candidates based on their past service and contributions to RESNA, and their ability to guide the organization in the future. Nominees must be members or fellows of RESNA in good standing for a period of three years. RESNA will conduct elections via mail-in ballots. New members begin their terms Aug. 1, 2008.

WASHINGTON - The rehab industry would prefer the SADMERC to adopt 10 "builder" codes for manual wheelchairs, but until it sees coverage criteria and pricing, it won't know what to think, sources said. "The codes are only one piece of the puzzle," said Seth Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility Products. "We need to see all three pieces of the puzzle before we'll know whether one piece fits when you apply it across the board." If the industry sounds cautious, it is. When...

One of the hottest tech shows on TV, PBS's "Wired Science," singled out an Invacare sports wheelchair and Pride Mobility power chairs as examples of cool technology that's changing people's lives. The show, Hot Wheels, ran Oct. 17 "This builds awareness," said Pride's vice president of design and advanced technology, Walt Clark, who appeared on the show. "A lot of people just think of wheelchairs as basic manual wheelchairs and have no idea that people play sports in them or could do the kinds of...

WASHINGTON - Two years have passed since CMS changed its documentation requirements for power mobility devices, but providers still report major difficulties, according to a recent NCART survey. The lack of clarity surrounding the requirements has increased the burden on providers, delayed their ability to deliver PMDs and intensified their exposure to post-payment audits, respondents stated. "This survey quantifies the confusion and the challenges still facing providers," said Don Clayback, NCART's...

WASHINGTON - Nothing's official, but the word on the street is that CMS will delay or modify its requirement that independent assistive technology practitioners (ATPs) conduct evaluations for certain power wheelchairs beginning April 1. "It's not a matter of if but when," said Simon Margolis, executive director of NRRTS. "There are no more misconceptions about whether there will be enough ATPs by 2008." In October, Dr. Doran Edwards, the medical director for the SADMERC, told attendees at Medtrade...

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Robert VanVranken recently completed a 1,500-mile trip from St. Paul, Minn., to New York City--on a Pride Legend power wheelchair, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 49-year-old VanVranken, known as "The Rolling Dutchman," made the trip to raise awareness and money for veterans issues. VanVranken, who is not a veteran, lost his left leg after a Metro Transit bus hit him last year. During his trip, VanVranken stopped at veterans hospitals, memorials and Veterans of Foreign...

WASHINGTON - Invacare spent $330,000 to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, The Associated Press reported in October. The Elyria, Ohio-based manufacturer lobbied Congress on changes in the Medicare program that affected reimbursement for home medical equipment like oxygen tanks and wheelchairs. It also lobbied CMS, the FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and the White House, the AP reported.

LOUISVILLE, KY. - Premier Home Care hopes its OSA patients get hooked on healthy lifestyle changes, along with their CPAPs. The provider recently partnered with the YMCA to offer free 30-day trial memberships to new customers. New patients get "an invitation and a challenge" with a card inviting them to try the Y. The membership starts when the patient is ready, and about 25% of patients check it out. It's the latest peg of the company's three-year-old Sleep Healthy Program, said John Cason, vice...

During an Oct. 11 Open Door Forum, CMS said it had gotten word that some providers were refusing unannounced site surveys, but most accrediting agencies say that's not the case. "I haven't had anybody turn me down," said Bob Weir, a surveyor for HQAA. "Sometimes, I walk in and people don't know who I am. There's a lot of people who think they just send in the application and it's ready to go." Occasionally a provider has been unprepared, which can lead to an immediate denial of accreditation, said...

Ice Spiders release Layer Cake The New York Times took it to the HME industry today with a front-page story that started out like this: Golden Opportunities Oxygen Suppliers Fight to Keep a Medicare Boon By CHARLES DUHIGG The Man Without a Face dvd Little Voice trailer To Kill a Mockingbird divx The Shawshank Redemption on dvd Flash Gordon move The Legend Trip Scorched trailer Medicare spends billions of dollars each year on products and services that are available at far lower prices. Duhigg’s...