In brief: Invacare sues Drive

Invacare sues Drive, claims patent infringement

ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare filed a lawsuit against Drive Medical July 21 in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. The suit alleges that Drive is infringing on four patents that Invacare holds on height-adjustable beds and rollators. In its suit, Invacare requests that Drive stop infringing on the patents and that it destroy all inventory that does. Drive President Harvey Diamond said the company is "prepared to vigorously defend" itself. "Drive is very careful and very respectful of anyone's product patent, and we hope that people will respect our patents, " Diamond said. "As far as we're concerned, our products are different than theirs and do not infringe on their patents."

Visit NRRTS Complex Rehab Pavilion at Medtrade

TRINIDAD, Colo. - NRRTS will sponsor the Complex Rehab Pavilion at Medtrade, the organization announced last week. The pavilion will be a grouping of 20-plus booths that all share this theme: equipment and services to meet the complex needs of people with disabilities. NRRTS will also facilitate two educational programs at Medtrade: "Complex Rehab--Legislative and Regulatory Update" by Don Clayback, executive director of NCART; and "Consumer Self-Advocacy--The Key to The Future of Complex Rehab" by Ann Eubank, executive director of the Users First Alliance, and Jeffrey Leonard, publisher of New Mobility magazine. Medtrade will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta Oct. 13-15.

Economist to speak out against competitive bidding

ARLINGTON, Va. - AAHomecare is ramping up its fight against national competitive bidding with a media conference call today. Economist Brian O'Roark will discuss a study, "Analysis of the Economic Impact of Competitive Bidding on the DME Market: A One Year Update." The study reveals faults with the program, which O'Roark, an assistant professor at Robert Morris University will address. Among the findings: the program concentrates market power, which creates regional oligopolies and reduces quality of care; and CMS doesn't understand the structure of the market. O'Roark will be joined by providers who were affected by the program last year.

CMS schedules open door forums for NCB

BALTIMORE - CMS will hold the first of eight special Open Door Forums on competitive bidding Aug. 19. At this first forum, CMS will give an overview of what to expect during the bidder education period and provide suppliers with a step-by-step explanation of the registration process. CMS also will identify common registration issues from the original Round 1 of the DMEPOS competitive bidding program and discuss refinements to the bidding system. To participate in the forum, which runs from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, dial: 1-800-837-1935; the reference conference ID is 23038688. An audio recording of this forum will be posted to the Special Open Door Forum website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums/05_ODF_SpecialODF.asp and will be accessible beginning Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009.