Archive: December 2006

WASHINGTON - CMS initiated a review Dec. 20 on the use of levalbuterol in the treatment of COPD. The review will delay any possible reimbursement cuts for nebulizer medications for at least the first half of 2007. The industry has been holding its collective breath for most of 2006, waiting for a final decision on a proposal to reimburse brand-name drugs Xopenex and DuoNeb at generic rates. Comments ended last May, and industry insiders had expected a final decision by the end of 2006. Instead,...

BRADENTON, Fla. - For years, provider Alan Cross has driven past the beach on his way to work and thought, "One day, I'm going to set up shop there and sell T-shirts and ice cream." Fed up by an increasingly unattractive Medicare landscape, Cross, who co-owns C&C Homecare with his wife, Joan, made part of that dream a reality recently, when the couple launched Florida Promotions Unlimited. Through the new side business, the Crosses screen-print and embroider custom T-shirts and nearly everything...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The state has proposed new coverage criteria for home oxygen therapy that contain both good and bad news for providers. The good news: The state no longer seeks to make oxygen a capped rental item. The bad news: It still seeks to cut reimbursement almost in half. "We're still very much apart on reimbursement," said Kamela Yuricich, executive director of the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services, who met with state officials in late November to discuss the new coverage criteria....

Last fall, CMS implemented new codes, coverage criteria and pricing for power mobility devices. These final changes are far from perfect, but they could have been a lot worse if the industry didn't rally and kick its advocacy efforts into high gear. What's more, at the time of this writing in early December, CMS was working with the industry on possible increases to the final fee schedule. These events proved that we as an industry can take actions to affect policy. It's also clear that, given the...

Oxygen user Ellen Hussey made her annual pilgrimage to her daughter's house for Thanksgiving, despite recently going on 24-hour oxygen. Hussey's new portable oxygen concentrator is easier for her to maneuver in and out of hotels or her camper. "My new provider was trying to accommodate me with the car thing," said Hussey. "We do travel a bit, so it's just been great." Millions of people hit the roads during the holiday travel season and oxygen users are no different. Hussey is typical of many traveling...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Customers placing an order with themedicalsupplydepot.com could find themselves dealing with President Meir Tsinman. "I like to make sure that the customers are happy," said Tsinman, "not just sit back in my office." The company celebrated its first anniversary Dec. 1 with a re-launch of its Web site, a new live assistance feature and a new e-gift card. Themedicalsupplydepot.com offers more than 25,000 products, including incontinence and diabetic supplies, bath safety products...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Independent providers in the Southeast who no longer want to go it alone in an increasingly competitive HME world have a new option. Southern Home Medical Equipment has begun rolling up independents, giving them the resources they need to compete but allowing them to maintain their autonomy, company officials say. "We had been thinking about how to compete, and we realized we needed to not only grow but grow quickly," said Dennis Nowak, a respiratory therapist with ApneaRx,...

WORTH, Ill. - Police ticketed a family with three service dogs and one pet dog in late November for violating an ordinance that allows only three dogs in a single-family home. Service dogs Stitches and Brooklyn help sisters Kristen and Annalies Kocurek cope with their respiratory ailments by responding to various alarms on their ventilators. Skittles helps their mother Joanne Kocurek cope with lupus by helping with doors, cabinets and elevators. A judge, citing the American with Disabilities Act,...

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - An appearance on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and "positive" discussions with fellow lawmakers put Congressman-elect David Davis, R-Tenn., on track for spreading "the homecare message." "I heard over and over in Washington that we have to look at our social programs and health care falls under that," said Davis. "I think they are looking for people that have a fresh set of eyes and a healthcare background because it's such a large part of our budget." The four-term state representative...

SAN DIEGO - SeQual Technologies began selling its Eclipse portable oxygen concentrator in the Canadian homecare market last month. SeQual units earmarked for Canadian operation are currently being distributed out of the company's San Diego headquarters. The Canadian oxygen therapy market is estimated to be roughly 11% the size of the U.S. market.