Archive: November 2002

RATC requests meeting with CMS WASHINGTON - AAHomecare's Re/hab and Assistive Technology Council has requested a meeting with CMS to discuss the new codes for pediatric mobility equipment and accessories. RATC hasn't received official letters of determination from CMS yet, but information it has received from other payer sources is cause for concern, said Rita Hostak, chairman of RATC. First, RATC fears CMS has grouped the codes into categories that are too broad. Second, it fears the new codes...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - AAHomecare's rehab council has selected the Rehabilitation, Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of America (RESNA) to develop standards for its rehab accreditation program. The Re/habilitation and Assistive Technology Council (RATC) will pay RESNA $200,000 to develop the standards over the upcoming year. RESNA was one of three finalists vying for the contract, and RATC announced at Medtrade in Atlanta that RESNA had won. RATC believes a rehab accreditation program is needed...

Financials Chad Therapeutics' domestic conserver sales are up 25% over the same corresponding quarter last year, although the company is reporting an overall revenue decline of 7% in the 2nd qtr. of fiscal 2003. Sales of the Total O2 transfilling concentrator were down, partly due to an acquisition of a big customer last year by a national player that doesn't use Total O2. Chad expects a resumption of positive overall revenue comparisons next month…. CareCentrics revenues for the 3rd qtr. of 2002...

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - No longer content with real estate on the margins of the Medtrade show floor - or the margins of the typical HME provider's vision - manufacturers from the Far East are migrating from the periphery to, they hope, a place closer to the heart of the HME provider's consideration. At Medtrade this year, Merits Health Products rolled out a barrage of new product lines: a concentrator, a nebulizer, lifts, hospital beds, bathroom aids and ambulatory aids. Since launching direct-to-dealer...

WASHINGTON - Call it Battle of the Rebuttals. In what has turned into a spirited exchange of methodology arguments regarding the projected savings of competitive bidding, the Congressional Budget Office and the Pricewater-houseCoopers accounting firm both recently issued statements refuting the other's findings. The fiscal entities are at loggerheads over the Medicare savings potential from a national DME competitive bidding program proposed in House Resolution 4954, the Medicare Modernization...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Permobil is drafting a bill that would require that rehab providers in Tennessee become members of the National Registry of Rehab Technology Suppliers (NRRTS) or the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), beginning Jan. 1, 2004. "Rehab is the only profession where someone has their hands all over you, but they don't have to have a license or certification," said Darren Jernigan, director of government affairs for Permobil. "There...

WASHINGTON - Boosters of the e-CMN are hailing a Sept. 27 CMS transmittal as all the clarification necessary for e-CMNs to pass muster at any of the DMERCs. Published by CMS's Program Integrity office, the transmittal clarifies two points: 1) The DMERCs "must" accept e-CMNs; 2) if there is a suspicion of fraud, and the DMERC launches an investigation, it will be the supplier's responsibility to prove the authenticity/validity of the signature on the CMN. "This should put to rest anyone's reservation...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - In the battle that has become competitive bidding, the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers (PAMS) is touting a resounding victory in the state's House of Representatives. In late October, representatives voted 186 to 5 to adopt a resolution opposing the inclusion of competitive bidding in any legislation, according to Claire Turner, executive director of PAMS. The Pennsylvania House then forwarded that resolution to Congress. "What a win for Pennsylvania providers!"...

U.S. peace is Medtrade's prosperity ATLANTA - What a difference a year makes. Last year, Medtrade suffered a 17% decrease in attendance, largely due to fallout from the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. This year, the show recorded a preliminary increase of 10.5%, coming in at 22,500 - 2,500 more than the projected 20,000, said Cory Smith, group show director for VNU Expositions. Even the industry's worry over the possibility that Washington lawmakers might implement national competitive...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - High-end rehab providers are applauding Permobil's plan to raise the bar for the rehab industry, but they're not sure how much of an impact the wheelchair manufacturer's plan - if realized - would have. In October, Permobil announced it was working on a set of standards that would restrict sales of the company's power products to dealers who employ certified rehab technology suppliers (CRTSs), which are issued by the National Registry of Rehab Technology Suppliers (NRRTS). Doug...