Archive: September 2016

WASHINGTON - HME stakeholders have House Speaker Paul Ryan's word that Congress will take up legislation that would retroactively delay a recent reimbursement cut in non-competitive bidding areas in a lame-duck session after the elections.“We've had some of our folks in leadership talk to Ryan directly and he has said that he's aware of the issue,” said Jay Witter, senior vice president of public policy for AAHomecare. “He said, 'We'll take care of it in the lame-duck session.'...

WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders hope a recent meeting will open up a dialogue between Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and CPAP providers who have concerns with some of the insurer's requirements.Of primary concern: Anthem's benefits management company, AIM Specialty Health, requires providers to supply proof of patient compliance quarterly for the first year of treatment and annually thereafter. That frequency level can create access issues, and possible medical complications, for patients,...

ROCKY HILL, Conn. - Numotion has joined the e-commerce market with the launch of its new online store, www.shopnumotion.com.“We serve people all across the country, some in very rural markets, that might not be near seating clinics or Abilities Expos,” said John Pryles, senior vice president of sales. “So we wanted to give them access and let them see what was available.”Numotion has kicked off its e-commerce efforts with SoftWheel, an adaptive in-wheel suspension system for...

WASHINGTON - Respiratory stakeholders have begun work to develop outcomes-based care models. Earlier this year, AAHomecare distributed a survey to respiratory stakeholders, exploring the possibility of developing a new payment methodology focusing on chronic respiratory management. After obtaining results, AAHomecare HME/Respiratory Therapy Council members and American Association for Respiratory Care executives met to begin to develop basic tenets for a chronic respiratory care model that is patient-focused,...

I'm not going to lie. When I asked Rick Glass, who always presents the results of our Financial Benchmarking Survey at the HME News Business Summit, to put together a 10-year snapshot to recognize 10 years of the survey, I was a little worried about what'd I'd get back. As any of you know, a lot has happened to the HME industry in 10 years—a lot of it not good. And as any of you know, Rick is not one to sugarcoat reality. If it's bad, he's going to tell you it's bad. So I was pleasantly surprised...

NEWTOWN, Conn. - O2 Concepts has been named one of the top 50 places to work in southern Connecticut. Employees ranked the company's workplace extremely high in all areas of satisfaction as part of a survey by Hearst Connecticut Newspapers. “We are small enough to be nimble and responsive to customer needs, and everyone else is trying to catch up,” said one employee. O2 Concepts makes the Oxlife Independence Portable Oxygen Concentrator. In response to the award, the company stated,...

WASHINGTON - The National Home Infusion Association has named Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., as the recipient of its Congressional Leadership Award. Engel is the lead sponsor of the Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act, H.R. 605, a bill that would require Medicare to pay for home infusion services and related supplies under Part B. “I have long been committed to closing the Medicare gap for home-based infusion care,” Engel said. “There is no reason to force patients battling cancer...

WASHINGTON - The Paralyzed Veterans of America has urged the Senate to follow the House of Representatives in passing a bill that would create standards for the provision of automobile adaptive equipment for veterans."The independence that driving a vehicle gives back to paralyzed and disabled veterans is something none of us take for granted," said Sherman Gillums, Jr., executive director of Paralyzed Veterans of America, in a release. "We applaud the House for passing this legislation and making...

A. It is often challenging for HME companies to get contracted with payers. Payers often close their networks to new provider applications once they reach a certain number of HME companies. There are two similar scenarios: a closed network and a narrow network. When a network is closed, the payer has established a business practice that it is not accepting more providers into an existing network. In a narrow network, the payer has determined that it is generally not accepting more providers...

A. If your vendors want to send you POP materials, be happy. Only a handful of HME vendors understand retail and the need to help you be “retail friendly.”There are a variety of POP materials available, including hanging banners, floor-stand banners, signage, floor displays, countertop displays, brochures, brochure holders and video displays.The most important question to ask when deciding which POP materials will work for your store is “Will the materials enhance my overall look...