Archive: April 2008

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A bill that would exempt most durable medical equipment from state sales tax law has stalled in the state legislature. Introduced in the House in February, H.B. 472 would clarify what items of durable medical equipment should be considered non-taxable. Although wheelchairs and hospital beds are identified as non-taxable, newer durable medical equipment like nebulizers, commodes and home ventilators are not specifically defined. "We are trying to get the language changed so that it...

BALTIMORE - CMS's new accreditation deadlines for providers who plan to participate in Round 2 of national competitive bidding should serve as a "wake-up call," accrediting organizations say. CMS announced March 14 that providers in 70 competitive bidding areas (CBAs) must be accredited or apply to become accredited by May 14. They must complete the process by Oct. 31. "Can it be done? Absolutely," said Tim Safley, HME clinical adviser for ACHC. "Providers shouldn't panic, but CMS is sending a clear...

COLUMBIA, S.C.- The SADMERC released a bulletin in March that aims to clarify the types of products described by the continuous passive motion (CPM) codes E0935 (for use on knee only) and E0936 (for use other than knee). CPM machines must meet these characteristics: durable and capable of repeated use over five years (elastic, fabric, single use or light plastic devices do not meet this test) and capable of continuous passive motion of the affected limb (meaning it can move the limb in an appropriate...

ELYRIA, Ohio - An accreditation coordinator from Hampton, Iowa, and a company CEO from West Plains, Mo., bested 270 other participants in Invacare's contest to rename national competitive bidding. Their winning entry: national consumer betrayal. "I just don't believe in giving the business to the person who can do it the cheapest," said Graham O'Neal, CEO of West Plains Health Services in West Plains. "You've got to pay your bills, and something has got to give if you don't get enough revenue." What's...

CORONA, Calif. - Nissin Wheelchairs, the largest wheelchair manufacturer in Japan, purchased Colours 'N Motion on March 18. Colours manufactures ultra-light and rigid wheelchairs. According to a statement from Colours: "This agreement will bring together the 40-plus years experience and exceptional technology of Nissin Wheelchairs and the premier brand of Colours and its established presence in the marketplace." Colours and Nissin wheelchairs will be available under the Colours name. Takahiro Haruyama...

It's hard to imagine anyone more suited to a relief mission to Vietnam than Sandy Cohen. Cohen was part of a medical team that traveled to Vietnam March 20-April 3 to provide free medical exams to disadvantaged children in Kien Giang and Dong Thap provinces and Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. She owns Hartford-based Advanced Home Medical Supplies and she has two adopted children from Vietnam, nine-year-old Noah and eight-year-old Jesse, who also participated in the mission. Cohen's sales rep at Medline,...

LITTLETON, Colo. - Like most of the industry, NRRTS had its hands full with national competitive bidding in March and April. But knowing the show must go on, the organization also moved forward on several fronts recently. In March, NRRTS decided to extend its series of five teleseminars after about 95 people registered for the first two teleseminars in February and March, crushing its goal of 40. "It has become a rolling series," said Executive Director Simon Margolis. "There will always be five...

MIAMI - A federal jury on March 7 convicted the owners of two durable medical equipment companies, a home healthcare agency and a physician of Medicare fraud. After a five-week trial, the jury found Maria Hernandez, Marta Jimenez, Maivi Rodriguez and Dr. Ana Caos guilty on all charged accounts, including conspiring to defraud the U.S. government, submitting false claims to Medicare, soliciting and receiving kickbacks, and conspiring to commit healthcare fraud. Their alleged scheme: falsely diagnosing...

WASHINGTON - Pharmacists can now say, "We told you so." A new study published in the March-April issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association bolstered what community pharmacy providers have said all along. People with Type 2 diabetes who receive coaching by a pharmacist do better. Early results of the Diabetes Ten City Challenge, launched in October 2005, show a 21% increase in the number of patients who achieved an A1C test result of less than 7%. The challenge features 914 participants,...

PHOENIX, Ariz. - A state legislator has dropped plans to require licenses for HME providers-for now. "It won't go any further this year, but it's not going to go away," said Steve Treinen, director of Banner Home Care in Gilbert, Ariz. "They just have too much on their plates this year." In HB 2504, Rep. Jennifer Burns, R-District 25, outlined plans to require that all HME providers get licenses by Jan. 1, 2009. She envisioned a system where the state would renew licenses each year, as long as providers...