Archive: September 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida rehab providers hope a new custom wheelchair workgroup will help make the documentation requirements that have dogged them for nearly two years a thing of the past. But some aren't holding their breath. The workgroup, whose members include providers, clinicians, therapists and Medicaid officials, meet for conference calls every two or three weeks. The main topic of conversation: How to streamline requirements to decrease two things--the number of denials providers receive...

HOUSTON - A Houston woman must serve 15 months in prison for a wheelchair scheme that, prosecutors say, bilked Medicare out of more than $2 million. Pearlie Warfield, 56, and her daughter admitted making more than $100,000 in commissions--$200 for each person they signed up for an unnecessary power wheelchair, according to The Associated Press. Instead of power wheelchairs, the people got less expensive power scooters, and the Houston-based Legend Medical Services kept the difference. The daughter,...

WASHINGTON - With time not on its side, the rehab industry in August scrambled to collect examples of how CMS's new coverage criteria for power mobility devices will create access problems for beneficiaries. CMS planned to implement its new local coverage determination Oct. 1, but the industry, armed with stories of how the LCD would leave beneficiaries stuck with inadequate power wheelchairs and scooters, hoped to stall the agency. "All of this has happened rather hastily," said Laura Cohen, co-coordinator...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - After working six years on the O&P side of the DMEPOS equation, Tyler Wilson joined AAHomecare last month as the association's new president and CEO. Wilson boarded AAHomecare officially Sept. 18. He assumed the association's top post after working as the executive director of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) since 2000. He replaces Kay Cox, who resigned last winter. "It's a larger industry, a bigger playing field--that had some allure," Wilson said recently....

PLAINVIEW, N.Y. - With several new products that debuted last month, Fastrack Healthcare Systems began going after HME business that until now had been out of its reach. The software company's new modules--vehicle routing, customer management and e-commerce--can be integrated into any software system, not just Fastrack's, said President Spencer Kay. "It's a way for people to be exposed to Fastrack and for us to generate revenue," Kay said. "It's also a way to get certain technologies to people who,...

ATLANTA - Despite industry-wide belt-tightening, more than half of providers at this year's Medtrade show planned to spend more money than last year. According to September's HME NewsPoll, 54% of providers were looking for bargains and new product lines to make money in the face of increased cuts. "We will be very careful in deciding how to spend our money," said one provider. "We will probably spend it in sleep because of growth in that therapy." According to the poll: 15% of providers planned to...

The DOJ claims that Bruce Simon, one of the city's leading criminal defense attorneys, knowingly accepted $124,000 in criminal proceeds as payment for his legal fees. Such a transaction is a federal crime. Government officials are seeking DOJ approval to begin criminal proceedings against Simon, who has denied any wrongdoing, the Kansas City Star reported. While the government occasionally makes such a charge against attorneys representing alleged drug dealers, it seldom, if ever, does so in criminal...

SAN DIEGO - Earlier this year, ResMed became the only company in the United States to garner Food and Drug Administration approval to sell a product designed specifically to treat central sleep apnea and periodic breathing. Now, after a slow and quiet roll out with a small group of customers, ResMed has begun to market the VPAP Adapt SV in earnest, beginning last month at Medtrade. For HME providers, this is big news, said Mick Farrell, ResMed's vice president of marketing. He noted that an estimated...

Linda Youngman knows there's some merit to rehab specialists getting burned out quickly, especially these days. It takes more and more effort--sometimes kicking and screaming--to get claims approved and paid for. But then she thinks about the children she works with, and she changes her mind. "It's funny--people say you get burned out, but I just don't buy it," said Youngman, who, at 42 years old, has logged more than 20 years as a rehab specialist in upstate New York. "I love it. It's tough, but...

LAS VEGAS - Desert Medical Equipment, a Las Vegas provider that caters to high-profile hotels like the Bellagio, added liquid oxygen reservoirs to its rental resume in August. "Now we do everything oxygen-related," said owner Bryan Schultz, who also rents scooters and wheelchairs from his prominent location on the Strip. "We saw a big need for it. We were turning people away, and now we don't have to." Desert Medical provides a variety of liquid oxygen services, depending on a user's needs. The...