Archive: April 2019
iBOT readies for relaunch
April 30, 2019HME News Staff
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mobius Mobility is in the process of re-launching the iBOT Personal Mobility Device, an electric wheelchair that can climb stairs, according to the Union Leader. The company is moving into a building here owned by Dean Kamen, who worked with Johnson & Johnson to develop the iBOT 20 years ago, to assemble the devices and train customers on how to use them. In addition to climbing stairs, the iBOT allows users to sit up to make eye contract with others, making it a good fit for people...
Belluscura reaches fundraising goal for POC
April 30, 2019HME News Staff
PLANO, Texas - Belluscura has reached its fundraising goal for its portable oxygen concentrator, the X-PLO2R. The company, part of the portfolio of Tekcapital Plc, a U.K. intellectual property investment group, has raised 500,000 pounds. “We are delighted to see that Belluscura has reached its crowdfunding target of 500,000 pounds to help complete the regulatory clearance and launch of their new X-PLOR portable oxygen concentrator later this year,” said Dr. Clifford Gross, chairman of...
Senators introduce accessories bill
April 30, 2019HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, on April 29 introduced a bill to provide relief for complex rehab wheelchairs and accessories, according to NCART.S. 1223 would exempt complex rehab manual and power wheelchairs and any wheelchair accessory, cushion or back when furnished in connection with a wheelchair from Medicare competitive bidding pricing. Casey and Portman introduced a similar bill in the last congressional session.Earlier in April, Reps. John Larson, D-Conn., and...
Medicaid roundup: Changes in North Dakota, South Dakota
April 30, 2019HME News Staff
The North Dakota House of Representatives and Senate have passed H.B. 1115, a bill that prevents the Medicaid program from requiring “prior authorization, additional documentation not required by Medicare or additional prescription requirements of DME and supplies to process a claim for Medicaid-eligible individuals who are also eligible for Medicare if any item has been paid by Medicare, unless the item is not covered by Medicaid,” according to MAMES. The legislature passed the bill...
NRRTS, CTF push local advocacy
April 29, 2019Tracy Orzel
LUBBOCK, Texas, and ARLINGTON, Va. — NRRTS and the Clinician Task Force (CTF) are collaborating on a pilot program that encourages suppliers, clinicians and consumers to team up and increase awareness of complex rehab at the local level. “I think a lot of people go to Washington, D.C., and say, 'I did my part. I went on the Hill,' then they go home,” said Weesie Walker, executive director of NRRTS. “What they fail to recognize is that the person they saw that day might...
Get your bid bond
April 29, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
One of the many items to check off on the to-do list for HME providers planning to submit bids in Round 2021 of competitive bidding is obtaining $50,000 bid bonds for each CBA in which they plan to submit a bid. The team at VGM Insurance Services, which has partnered with Lexon Insurance Company to offer bid bonds, recently offered some clarifications about the new requirement.
What's a bid bond?
Bid bonds are in addition to the surety bonds required to participate in the Medicare program,...
CPS Medical to turn 40
April 29, 2019Tracy Orzel
TYLER, Texas — CPS Medical has weathered a number of storms over the last four decades, but reimbursement cuts to oxygen therapy has been the provider's greatest challenge to date.CPS Medical, which officially turns 40 on January 1, 2020, offers a full line of DME, minus diabetic supplies. When the family-owned provider opened its doors in 1980, it was being paid $225 a month for oxygen therapy.“If you look at that in 2019 dollars, that's about $600 a month,” said Kevin Hill,...
You say tomato, I say tomahto?
April 29, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Is there a provider that doesn't like a good lead? As long as it's legal? (Which, BTW, is good question as we've learned from “Operation Brace Yourself.”)
I remember talking to a provider once about Inogen and the provider said the amount of advertising they do almost makes up for the fact that they're also a competitor. Inogen has arguably done the most to raise the awareness of POCs to the point where Mr. Smith goes into an HME company asking for an Inogen. It has...
Q&A: Option Care's John Rademacher
April 29, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
When the ink dries on the planned merger of two of the country's leading home infusion services providers, it will form an organization that is deeply committed to patient care, says John Rademacher, CEO of the combined company of Option Care and BioScrip.“At the center of both organizations is deep clinical expertise and a passion to deliver extraordinary care,” he told HME News in an email. “Together, we will form an organization that will create a rich environment and a destination...
Marketing: Connect with customers
April 29, 2019Scott Stone
Q. Where is time best spent on social media?
A. Social media created the opportunity for virtual relationships and increased touch points directly with a potential customer base. The customer and how they're serviced is leading that digital revolution. Consider that with every dollar invested into customer service, on average, it pays a three-fold return.
Create Brand Loyalty
More than half of consumers state that they're more brand loyal to companies that “get them”...