Tag: Beth Bowen

At an annual summer meeting in August, members of the Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Services Association turned the tables on Executive Director Beth Bowen, honoring her for 30 years of service leading state and regional associations.  “It was so heartwarming they even paid attention to it,” said Bowen. “It underscores the feeling of family within the association.”  ACMESA was formed in 2016 when the Virginia Association of Durable Medical Equipment Companies...

WRIGHTVILLE BEACH, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Services Association (ACMESA) held its two-day Summer Meeting on Aug. 18-19. Among the happenings at the event was the presentation of the inaugural Tart Advocacy & Leadership Award to its namesakes, Billy and Joey Tart, and the presentation of a plaque to Beth Bowen, executive director of ACMESA, recognizing her achievements leading and managing ACMESA and other associations for 30 years. The event also included training and education...

YARMOUTH, Maine - Rose Schafhauser and Beth Bowen both manage multiple state and regional HME associations and had to cancel popular events in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was a difficult decision, but soon after, Schafhauser and Bowen were consumed with being a clearinghouse for COVID-19 information in multiple states. Here's some of what they were experiencing in late March.Essential businessesWith different states taking different approaches to business closures, one of the first...

ALBANY, New York - Just months after New York and New Jersey decided to combine their state HME associations, they have announced new leadership.The board of directors of the Northeast Medical Equipment Providers association (NEMEP) has chosen Beth Bowen, who already leads state HME associations in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, as their new executive director.“NEMEP is very lucky to have such a distinguished and energetic professional at its helm,” Kim Voelker, the...

CARY, N.C. - The move by two state associations to form one regional association follows larger industry trends of consolidation.In November, the Virginia Association of Durable Medical Equipment Companies (VADMEC) and the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES) combined to form the Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Suppliers (ACMESA).“We've been talking about it for some time and finally pulled the trigger,” said Beth Bowen, who was the executive director of...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Blue Cross Blue Shield Of North Carolina announced Dec. 13 that it will not update current fee schedules with the 2017 rates recently released by CMS. Because the decision is in conflict with its current policy and current contracts with DME providers, a contractual amendment will be mailed in early to mid-January, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2017. It will continue to use the January 2016 rates until further notice. "Our association has worked hard over the years maintaining...

CARY, N.C. - The Virginia Association of Durable Medical Equipment Companies (VADMEC) and the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES) have combined to form the Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Suppliers (ACMESA). The executive director of both associations, Beth Bowen, made the announcement on twitter on Nov. 3. Bowen owns an association management company named TayCar, Inc. Bowen also leads the Florida Association of Home Care Services (FAHCS) and, earlier this year, she...

Beth Bowen got her start composing newsletters for the North Carolina Association for Medical Equipment Services in 1991. Now she's the executive director of four state associations: NCAMES, the Virginia Association of Durable Medical Equipment (VADMEC), the Florida Alliance of Home Care Services (FAHCS), and, as of January, the Association for Tennessee Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Services (ATHOMES). HME News recently spoke to Bowen about juggling four sets of issues.HME News: With four state...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Billing for patients with both Medicare and Medicaid got a little easier on March 1 for HME providers in North Carolina.A glitch in NCTracks, the system that processes claims for the state's Medicaid program, meant providers had to manually correct rental claims for these so-called dual eligibles.“It's money that we had tied up in A/R, and extra cost and time, that we won't have anymore,” said Craig Rae, owner of Penrod Medical Equipment in Salisbury.A fix to the system,...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Thousands of prior approvals for Medicaid patients here are backed up as industry stakeholders and state officials struggle to iron out problems with a new billing system.“We are almost two months into this system now and it's still ridiculously problematic,” said Beth Bowen, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES). “There are patients out there that are not getting their stuff for three weeks.”The system,...