Archive: March 2007
Has DME cap altered biz?
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
WEST AMHERST, NY - The 13-month capped rental rule for Medicare DME observed its first "anniversary" in February, giving HME providers a chance to contemplate the impact on their businesses.
Judging by the tempered reaction of two prominent company leaders, the cap hasn't caused any dramatic changes--not yet, anyway.
"It's a rent-to-own system now, which is actually much simpler to explain to beneficiaries," said Don White, president of Associated Healthcare Systems in Amherst, N.Y. "That doesn't...
Bills: Industry keeps truckin'
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The HME industry expected Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn., to re-introduce the Hobson-Tanner bill in early March, possibly with two new provisions that would further soften the blow of national competitive bidding.
Rumor has it the bill may include an any-willing-provider provision, allowing any provider to supply HME if he agrees to do so at the competitive bidding price. Previous versions of the bill made that exemption only for small businesses.
The bill may also include a provision requiring...
Round 2: Industry vs. Bush
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders recently kicked off their campaign to defeat President Bush's proposal to eliminate the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs.
NCART, NRRTS and other stakeholders submitted testimony to the Ways and Means Committee Feb. 22 arguing that the proposal, part of Bush's 2008 budget, would decrease access to appropriate power wheelchairs. If providers have to rent out the equipment and wait 13 months for reimbursement, they'll be forced to provide generic equipment...
'Rolling with Style': Lights, Camera, Fashion!
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
On Feb. 6, I attended Discovery through Design's "2007 Rolling with Style Gala" as part of New York's Fashion Week. What a great event. From the red carpet to the reception, from the fashions to the speeches and the entertainment, it was fun and glamour all the way.
The show was the result of a three-year effort by Discovery through Design, a group of four inspiring women in wheelchairs, including Sunrise Medical's Marilyn Hamilton. The organization's goal: to honor women's lifestyles, create awareness...
Landauer enjoys buyer's market
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - Landauer-Metropolitan struck again in late February, acquiring its second company in as many months. This time the giant independent picked up Home Care Services, an $8.5-million dollar New Jersey provider that generates half of its revenue from home infusion services.
"It's a good time to be a buyer because the pendulum has swung around the other way," said Landauer CFO Joe Luceri. "We have the opportunity to acquire some good companies at decent values--companies that wouldn't...
Plenty of HMEs say 'no thanks' to accreditation
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Accreditation is too expensive, irrelevant, a waste of time and a problem to deal with on another day. So say providers who have yet to become accredited and don't plan to engage the process in the foreseeable future.
While nearly three-quarters of those who are not accredited plan to ramp up this year, a significant chunk of the 405 respondents to March's HME NewsPoll are holding out against the costly requirement. Though providers summoned a myriad of reasons and some very strident...
Cramer Decker offers exchange program
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Cramer Decker has a new deal that sounds to some providers like a no-brainer. To others, it sounds almost too good to be true.
For a few dollars more than what it costs to retest an oxygen cylinder--retesting's required every five years to ensure safety--the company will swap a used tank for a brand spanking new replacement.
"How do you argue with that?" said Sam Clay, president of Clay Home Medical in Petersburg, Va. "It sounds interesting--it really does."
While the exchange...
Off-roading
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
APPLETON, Wis. - Westhill Rehab may not be a Fortune 500 company, but when owner and vice president Ted Malkowski read an article in a business magazine last year about how companies can trim their monthly gas bills, he was all eyes.
At the time, gas prices were dangerously close to $3 per gallon. The large company featured in the article trimmed $300,000 from its monthly gas bill by taking all of its vehicles off the road one day per week. Malkowski did the same thing, taking his 10 vehicles off...
Top 5 HME providers
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
HME News filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request last July asking CMS to provide the top 100 HME providers based on allowed charges. CMS supplied the information in mid-January. The top 5 providers for 2005 were: Lincare ($711, 407,206); Apria Healthcare ($420,223,356); Liberty Medical Supply ($304,817,566); Lincare Pharmacy Services ($152,747,614); and KCI USA ($148,068,261).
Progressive: 'We want to keep growing'
March 31, 2007HME News Staff
LENEXA, Kan. - To grow its rehab department, even in a tough Medicare landscape, Progressive Medical Equipment has brought onboard another sales representative. Shawnee Waldren, who previously owned Freedom Mobility, joined Progressive in January.
Progressive now has five sales execs knocking on doors, looking for new referrals, said Gerald Sloan, founder and CEO. It has a total of 13 employees and locations here and in St. Peters, Mo.
"We want to keep growing, that's our goal," he said. "We've done...