Archive: July 2007

BALTIMORE - It's gone now, the most famous and infamous HCPCS code in the history of the durable medical equipment fee schedule: the K0011. Hatched in 1993, embraced by the industry in 1996 and besmirched by wheeler-dealers throughout the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the K0011 changed the way seniors maneuvered through their golden years and the way the nation thought of HME suppliers. A faint blip on the radar screens of most Americans before the Wheeler Dealer scandal broke in September 2003,...

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. - Pacific Pulmonary Services, one of the largest privately held providers of home oxygen and respiratory medications in the United States, has begun to implement Authentidate's Inscrybe Healthcare platform into more than 100 patient care centers in 14 states. PPS will use Inscrybe to digitally generate, track and manage documentation between its different facilities faster, the companies stated recently.

It takes a provider with hardy self esteem to hear the message consultant Louis Feuer commonly gives to his HME clients: "Our products are boring." But it also takes a provider willing to think creatively about marketing to overcome the "boring" nature of retail HME sales. The key, he says, is to get out of the position of salesperson and into the role of educational resource for patients. "Education is such a powerful tool," said Feuer. "People who buy products prefer to work with people who are...

There's a lot of talk in the industry about Medicare beneficiaries these days. Much of this talk has to do with how competitive bidding and other reimbursement cuts will reduce access to quality equipment that best serves a beneficiary's clinical needs. That's a noble position, a caring position, but also a misguided position. Providers aren't obligated to promise beneficiaries the moon and then try to deliver it. That may have worked when reimbursement was robust (10 years ago, providers used to...

With the first of several generic versions of DuoNeb projected to launch in July, nebulizer medication providers expect downward pressure on reimbursements over the next several quarters. First in line with a generic is Princeton, N.J.-based Sandoz. At press time, the drug-maker hadn't released a price or a launch date for the drug. DuoNeb is a compound of ipratropium and albuterol, eliminating the need for patients to mix treatments on their own. Medicare currently reimburses the compound at $1.11...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California's Medicaid program exempted respiratory services from its moratorium on provider numbers earlier this year, but providers like Bernie Zimmer still can't supply oxygen concentrators and other products to Medicaid beneficiaries. Zimmer, who owns California Home Medical Equipment in Foster City, submitted his application for a provider number to supply respiratory services in March. The Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, returned his application months later, because...

LONGMONT, Colo. - Fresh on the heels of a reorganization into two separate divisions--mobility and respiratory--Sunrise Medical CEO and Chairman Mike Hammes has stepped aside to let a newcomer oversee the company's day-to-day operations. Sunrise introduced Michael Cannizzaro last month as its new president, CEO and vice chairman of the board. He'll run Sunrise Mobility and oversee DeVilbiss Healthcare, which will continue to be managed by Kees Regeling, its president and CEO. Hammes will remain chairman...

SAN DIEGO - SeQual Technologies last month landed Ron Richard, a key ResMed executive to replace Ed Radtke, the founder and current vice president of marketing and sales. Radtke recently retired. Prior to joining SeQual, Richard served as senior vice president of strategic marketing for the Americas at ResMed. He brings with him more than 30 years of experience and knowledge of respiratory, pulmonary and sleep medicine. His title at SeQual: senior vice president of marketing and sales. Richard joins...

WASHINGTON - Knowing a one-week delay isn't enough, AAHomecare in July continued to push for further delays to national competitive bidding. On June 29, CMS extended the deadline for submitting bids from July 13 to July 20. AAHomecare sent a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Herb Kuhn in July seeking a delay due to several issues, including "severe technical problems with bid submissions and late dissemination of critical information." Additionally, two senators and representatives have picked up...

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - Bravo by Elder Health, a Medicare Advantage Program, has contracted The Scooter Store to provide power wheelchairs and scooters to its 3,500 members in Texas, the provider announced recently. Medicare Advantage Programs like Bravo allow beneficiaries to use private health plans but still have the government pay for their equipment. In all, the health plan serves 57,000 members in Texas, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.