In brief: Home care saves Arcadia, Phillips ascends

INDIANAPOLIS - Arcadia HealthCare last week reported net revenues of $37.4 million for the first quarter of 2009, down from net revenues of $38 million for the same period last year. Sales in the company's home health equipment segment, which includes DME, increased to $5.5 million in the quarter, up from $5.3 million for the same period last year. The company reported first quarter homecare revenue grew by 9.3% from the same period last year, driven by a 13% increase in private pay clients. VGM promotes Phillips WATERLOO, Iowa - The VGM Group named James Phillips CEO, the organization announced last week. Phillips has a long history with VGM: He started VGM Leasing in 1991. Prior to VGM, he worked at Chase Manhattan Leasing and Lease America. "I am very honored to be offered this opportunity to work with the entire company," stated Phillips in a release. "(CEO Van Miller's) vision excited me 16 years ago, and I want to continue to grow the entire VGM organization." Phillips will officially assume duties Aug. 29 and will report to Miller. Noridian offers manual wheelchair workshop WASHINGTON - Noridian Administrative Services, the DME MAC for Jurisdiction D, will offer a 60-minute workshop on manual wheelchair bases on Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. CST. NAS's provider outreach and education staff will cover: different types of manual wheelchair bases; coverage criteria; documentation requirements; coding; modifiers; ADMC requests; and more. Register online at www.noridianmedicare.com/dme/train/workshops/index.html Association strikes while iron is hot ALEXANDRIA, Va. - On the heels of the national competitive bidding delay, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has kicked off a voter registration drive geared toward pharmacy owners, employees and patients. "The stakes and opportunities in the new 111th Congress are as high as they have ever been," said Bruce Roberts, NCPA executive vice president and CEO, in a release. "We can't afford to go back and sit on the sidelines. We need to take advantage of our momentum and become even more engaged." For more information, go to www.ncpanet.org. Sun rises on Prism Medical VAUGHN, Ontario - Prism Medical USA, a DME provider based here, has won an exclusive contract to provide lifting, transferring and repositioning equipment and aides to Sunrise Senior Living, a company of more than 420 retirement residences throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The agreement includes a three-year implementation plan for all 350 Sunrise residences in the United States. Itamar Medical receives FDA clearance FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Itamar Medical has received FDA clearance for the latest version of its Watch-PAT product line, the Watch-PAT200, the manufacturer announced Aug. 12. The wrist mounted Watch-PAT200 is designed to provide sleep specialists and physicians with sleep clinical data without attaching electrodes and sensors to a patient's body.