Archive: October 2012
Deadline reminder for Round 1 recompete
October 31, 2012HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Two weeks remain for suppliers to submit hardcopy financial documents for the Round 1 recompete. These documents must be received by the competitive bidding implementation contractor (CBIC) on or before Nov. 14, 2012, if suppliers want to be notified of any missing financial documents, according to the CMS website. Suppliers who do not submit documentation before this date are not eligible for the document review process. This process determines if the required financial materials are...
Diabetes provider chases HMO market
October 31, 2012HME News Staff
MIAMI - Advanced Affordable Diabetics has added a wholesale division to provide lower cost products to certain HMO members, it announced Oct. 25.
Advanced, which is currently contracted with two HMOs, will provide glucose meters at no cost to members, it stated in a press release. The provider will also offer technical support and customer service.
“Our goal is to promote proper testing and quality control,” stated Ileana Miranda, president of Advanced, in the release.
Advanced...
To pass out candy or not?
October 31, 2012Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Another Halloween, another moral battle with myself. I won't keep you in suspense. I lost. This year, I will once again be handing out seasonal tattoos but instead of supplementing the tattoos with, say, pretzels, I opted for candy (Nerds, in case you're wondering). Sigh. One of these days I'll have the gumption to follow through on my convictions.
It's probably just coincidence that Nov. 1 marks the start of Diabetes Month and there's some scary stats on obesity rates, and therefore Type 2 rates,...
UroMed partnership broadens educational reach
October 31, 2012HME News Staff
CINCINNATI - UroMed, a provider of incontinence supplies, has teamed up with PatientPoint and Cure Medical to provide educational materials on incontinence and catheterization in urology exam rooms. The educational resources provide patients with health information and discussion starters to support conversations with physicians. The brochures include an 800 number for patients wanting to learn more about UroMed products. PatientPoint provides patient and physician engagement solutions at point of...
Hanger logs 'best year' for acquisitions
October 30, 2012HME News Staff
AUSTIN, Texas - Hanger, Inc. announced Oct. 29 that it has acquired a total of 16 patient care companies in 15 states this year.
These patient care companies employ 150 clinicians and staff, and have total revenues of $35.6 million year to date, according to a press release.
“We have exceeded our goal to acquire sales of approximately $20 million in 2012,” stated President and CEO Vinit Asar. “In fact, 2012 is our best year in over 10 years in terms of the number of O&P acquisitions...
Sunset Healthcare launches 'Tubes for Tots' fundraiser
October 30, 2012HME News Staff
CHICAGO - Sunset Healthcare Solutions has launched a nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. As part of its annual “Tubes for Tots” campaign, the company will donate a portion of the sales from every six-foot CPAP tube sold in November and December to the foundation. To provide an incentive for its provider customers to participate, Sunset Healthcare will throw in a free CPAP chinstrap for every 10 tubes purchased. FMI: www.SunsetHCS.com/toysfortots
Spin City
October 30, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
I had an interesting conversation with Bob McCoy this week. McCoy is a respiratory therapist (RT) and the managing director of Valley Inspired Products.
It turns out he'll be giving a presentation at the AARC Congress 2012 next month in New Orleans about how RTs need to be identifying opportunities to provide value-added care in this challenging environment.
Sounds like your standard fare, right? Opportunities and challenging environment have to be three of the most frequently written words by the...
OSA treatment improves blood pressure in men
October 30, 2012HME News Staff
DARIEN, Ill. - A new study suggests that treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could reduce blood pressure in men with hypertension. The study, which recently appeared in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, examined the effectiveness of CPAP treatment on high blood pressure and diabetes control in 221 men with preexisting hypertension or Type 2 diabetes and a new diagnosis of OSA. Results showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly with CPAP treatment...
Oh, Sandy
October 29, 2012Elizabeth Deprey
As most of you probably remember, the female lead in Grease is named Sandy, so I've had Grease songs in my head all week. Can't you hear John Travolta's voice? "Oh, Sandy."
Looks like Sandy's going to hit HME News World HQ with some aggressive rain and ferocious wind—enough to knock out the power and cause some flooding, but we won't be as bad off as our other Eastern Seaboard neighbors.
We'll be working from home tomorrow—provided we have power.
It's times like these that HME providers...
FBI raids California HME supplier
October 29, 2012HME News Staff
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Right HealthCare, a medical supply business based here, was raided Friday morning by FBI agents, according to an article from Bakersfieldnow.com. An FBI spokeswoman said a warrant was obtained for a search of the location, but she provided no further comment. The company, founded in 1998, is owned by Jim and Lillian Ebling, but according to a spokesman from the Kern County Assessor's Office, property taxes for the office have not been paid for the “past couple of...