HME provider closes due to cuts

REDDING, Calif. - Northern Rehab Equipment & Respiratory is closing its doors after 19 years in business, according to a local newspaper. The HME provider served customers all over the North State, specializing in products for the elderly like beds, wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen concentrators, diabetic shoes and more. Owner Stephanie Schwartz told the newspaper that her company maintained a steady clientele but decreases in Medicare reimbursement made the business too difficult. New West Medical, also in Redding, bought some of Northern Rehab's inventory and took on some of its customers, according to the newspaper. Unlike Northern Rehab, which focused on Medicare, New West Medical has a diversified book of business, mixing Medicare with private insurance and Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program.