Archive: March 2008
Scooter Store keeps on giving
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - The Scooter Store continues to donate power wheelchairs as part of its “Gift of Mobility” program. In February alone, the provider donated a power wheelchair to William Wilson, 80, who suffers from congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; David Harrison, 59, who suffers from permanent brain damage; and Ruby Pittman, who is 110 years old.
Industry scrambles
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The industry suffered a major reality check recently when word leaked out of Congress that the Tanner-Hobson bill, legislation intended to make competitive bidding less onerous to HME providers, “is not going to succeed.”
Informal reports out of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate the cost of the bill to be $10 billion to $12 billion over 10 years, and that's unacceptable to lawmakers intent on reigning in entitlement spending, said Seth Johnson, Pride Mobility's...
‘Rock and Roll’
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
In mid-March, Amanda Overmyer, a 23-year-old respiratory therapy nurse, was one of 11 final contestants for American Idol. Overmyer worked at Lincare's Kokomo, Ind., branch before wowing judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and voters with her Janis Joplin-esque voice. Jackson dubbed Overmyer, who rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the “Rock and Roll nurse.” Her musical influences: Joplin, Bob Seger, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) and Guns n' Roses. HME
Seating credential: Closer to reality?
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - April could be a big month for developing a specialty credential in wheeled seating and mobility.
RESNA's professional standards board meets the first weekend in April, and the specialty credential is on the agenda, confirmed Gerry Dickerson, a board member and director of rehab for Medstar Surgical & Breathing in College Point, N.Y.
“We have some pressing issues, like making the process for existing credentials better, but (the specialty credential for seating and mobility) is...
SeQual scores bundling deal
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
BARRIE, Ontario - After Microsoft bundled its operating system with the shipment of new PCs, Windows emerged as the dominant platform worldwide. On a smaller scale, Home Care Southmedic is shipping its software—in this case a cannula and a mask—with SeQual's concentrators.
“This helps Southmedic increase our brand awareness and visibility for the products' many benefits to both the homecare provider and LTOT user worldwide,” said Bob Mogue, director of Home Care Southmedic.
Prior...
Short takes
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
Assured Pharmacy consolidated the operations of its two Portland, Ore., pharmacies in February, closing one branch…Graymark Healthcare has agreed to buy Sleep Development Group, which owns six sleep labs in Texas. The Oklahoma City-based Graymark is a medical holding company that operates independent pharmacies, sleep labs and a DME…Rx3 Pharmacy in Richmond, Va., earned the Pharmacy Compounding Board's Seal of Accreditation, the company announced in February. It's the first pharmacy in that state...
Medela launches new Internet site
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
MCHENRY, lll. - Medela.com, the online home to Medela, a leader in breastpumps, breastfeeding accessories and human lactation research, has launched a revised Web site. The site has more breastfeeding information, better tools and caters to the individual. Visitors to the site can choose between Medela's “Breastfeeding” segment, which focuses on solutions for breastfeeding moms and lactation professionals, or Medela's “Healthcare” segment, which focuses on suction equipment...
Bargmann Mgmt. customizes training
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
AKRON, Ohio - Bargmann Management and its subsidiary, Homecare Collection Service, opened a customized training facility within their recently expanded OperationsCenter in Akron, Ohio. The new facility, which can host up to 40 participants, will serve as an education forum for the company's growing number of associates, as well as an education “center of excellence” for the homecare industry.
Healthcare marketing by degree
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
Need a marketing whiz to promote your products to referral sources or put a positive spin on the value of home care? The University of Southern Mississippi this fall will launch a new healthcare marketing degree, readying students to tackle the increasingly diverse—and booming—healthcare industry. Dr. Mike Wittmann, the university's Draughn professor of healthcare marketing, says he's always had his eye on this industry. HME News spoke with him recently about the importance of clear communication.
HME...
Good news for providers
March 31, 2008HME News Staff
In early 2007, E0217 was the subject of audits in Regions A, B and C. In many cases, PSCs found little to no provider documentation supporting the use of E0217.
In 2005 and 2006, several providers billed Medicare for hundreds of heat pumps every month. Yet it was the lack of equipment guidelines and patient qualification rules that made the code ripe for abuse.
As a result, the SADMERC and the PSCs are expected to introduce new guidelines for both equipment and prescriptions in 2008.
This is good...