Archive: September 2003

Editor's Note: Two short years ago, only two industry vendors - Invacare and Sunrise Medical - had apppointed people to work on legislative and regulatary issues as a titled, government relations expert. Today, six companies have created designated positions. Here's what those folks have been up to, and what they're planning to do. Invacare Dave Williams, Director of gov't affairs I welcome this rare opportunity to comment on something other than competitive bidding. Until this issue is resolved...

WATERLOO, Iowa - Ten years ago, Dave Kazynski had an idea that managed care organizations might favor “one-stop shopping” for HME and services and that small independent equipment providers might appreciate the added business they had not been able to tap directly. By connecting the buyer to the right seller, he figured, everyone would benefit - especially the patient. So Homelink was born and it grew - and continues to grow - even as it walks away from contracts and other provider networks...

Joan Cross Scheme, Scams and FlimFlams: Marketing Schemes and Business Arrangements to Avoid When: Oct. 9, 11 a.m - noon Speaker: Jeffrey S. Baird In today's competitive market with rising costs, increased administrative requirements and decreasing reimbursement, the “get rich quick” schemes could seem to be the perfect answer to a cash flow crisis. Unfortunately, the “too good to be true” philosophy needs to play here too. What may seem to be, on the surface, a perfect...

CLEVELAND - The HME industry should walk a mile in the footwear industry's shoes when it comes to inventory management. Visualize the typical shoe department's backroom - stacked to the rafters with boxes containing every style, size and width made for men, women and children. Availability is the lifeblood of the shoe business and stores can't afford to be out of stock in anything. That's why Acor decided to simplify things for its orthotic shoe line, said President Jeff Alaimo. “We became...

In last year's HME News address, we looked together at four areas of vulnerability faced by our industry, areas of concern for all providers: - Government/reimbursement - Dealer profitability - Quality - Technology This year, let's approach these same issues from a different perspective. What can we , as participants in this industry, do about them? Let's start with government/reimbursement. First, the climate is intense. States are challenged economically. Medicaid pressure is being felt across...

ACHC affiliates with Essentially Women Raleigh, N.C. - The Accreditation Commission for Health Care and Essentially Women recently formed an alliance they hope will benefit women's health-care providers. “I'm excited about our new strategic partnership with ACHC,” said Cindy Ciardo of Essentially Women. “They are the only accrediting body that sees a need to standardize business practices and foster high levels of care with the women's health industry.” Essentially Women...

WASHINGTON - The conference committee trying to reconcile the House and Senate versions of Medicare reform legislation was bogged down in a dispute over a rural hospital provision in mid-September. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., wants more money for hospitals in rural hospitals. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., does not. The reluctance of the Thomas camp to budge on this issue so angered Grassley that he pulled his staff people out of the reconciliation talks in protest. In the meantime, the president is...

ELYRIA, Ohio - Hymie Pogir, who for more than two decades has guided the development of Invacare's power wheelchairs, is leaving the glare, the glamor and the clamor of the surging product category for a new, stealthier business proposition. Pogir, 58, will go to work for Stealth Technologies, a Burnet, Texas, manufacturer of wheelchair components widely known for its headrests. He started work at Invacare in 1980, just months after Mal Mixon launched the company in Dec. 1979. Although he plans...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Gray Davis signed a new $99.1 billion budget Aug. 2 that relied on a combination of cuts to state programs and borrowing to reduce an eye-popping $38 billion budget deficit. In all, the cuts trimmed the states $140 million DME budget by about $20 million, said Bob Achermann, executive director of the California Association of Medical Product Suppliers (CAMPS). For HME providers, state Medicaid (MediCal) cuts look like this: - California will now pay no more than 80% of...

NEW YORK - When the lights flickered and died in cities throughout the eastern United States and Canada on the afternoon of Aug. 14, 50 million people found themselves affected by the country's biggest blackout in history. Dealing with their own electricity problems, like downed phone and computer systems, HME suppliers also found themselves faced with an overwhelming demand from people requesting oxygen backups for oxygen concentrators. “We started getting calls in the late afternoon and...