Archive: February 2009

WASHINGTON--The Power Mobility Coalition (PMC) has pledged to work with other advocates and policy-makers to rescind national competitive bidding, a “government mandated consolidation of lawful providers,” according to a Jan. 16 release. Competitive bidding will drive non-contracted providers out of the market, resulting in layoffs, and it will create “incentives for contracted providers to purchase inferior products from foreign manufacturers in an effort to cut costs,” stated...

WASHINGTON--CMS in January released billing details for capped oxygen patients. The industry's reaction: It's a day late, and to some, a dollar short. In its Jan. 27 listserv message, CMS detailed how to replace equipment after five years and provide contents. “In general, I thought it provided clarity on some of the billing issues we've had,” said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. “But, really, this should have been out in December....

The new administration and Congress have begun 2009 by trying to stimulate the economy and by reauthorizing and significantly expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the growing number of uninsured. The good news: There haven't been additional DME reductions proposed to help pay for these initiatives. However, stakeholders anticipate that national competitive bidding and additional reductions to oxygen and power wheelchairs will be considered for potential inclusion in...

For many HME providers, the economic downturn has made the difficult task of collecting patient co-pays next to impossible. With cash strapped consumers putting their medical bills on the back burner, sources say, it's no longer enough for providers to send out monthly statements and expect to be paid. “You have to be proactively calling the patients explaining to them why they owe what they do,” said Mike Bargmann, vice president of sales for Akron, Ohio-based Bargmann Management, which...

WASHINGTON--Shortly after CMS issued a final rule requiring HME providers to obtain $50,000 surety bonds, a Florida congressman upped the ante. On the opening day of Congress, Jan. 6, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., introduced H.R. 203, the “Medicare Fraud Prevention Act of 2009,” a bill that would require providers to obtain $500,000 surety bonds. The cost to obtain a $50,000 surety bond is roughly $1,500 per year. Obtaining a $500,000 bond would cost providers roughly $15,000 per year,...

WINDSOR, Colo.--A Peak Wheelchairs client will be in the national spotlight this year when he makes his second appearance on The Today Show to show off his customized wheelchair. The Today Show made arrangements with Invacare last year to provide Lance Carr with a new wheelchair after he won an essay contest put on by the show. Carr had been using a 14-year-old chair. Invacare asked Peak Wheelchairs to help Carr, who can only move his thumbs when propped on a table. Peak provided a home assessment...

The new members of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee come from a wide range of business backgrounds, but they have something in common: A sense of duty. “I was motivated by the need to try to do what I can to make the system work for the industry and work better,” said provider Peter Amico, owner of Holtsville, N.Y.-based Prime Care Supplies. The PAOC advises CMS on issues related to national competitive bidding. In October, CMS disbanded the existing committee - originally...

SANTA ANA, Calif.--When John Peterson describes Cramer Decker Medical's new Web site, he talks a lot about UFOs. Peterson, vice president of sales and marketing, isn't talking about Unidentified Flying Objects; he's talking about Until Friday Only. As part of its new Web site, Cramer Decker posts a new product each week and sells it at a “ridiculously low price” - Until Friday Only. One week in late January, for example, it featured an all-in-one, welded commode for $17.95 (usually,...

Fear is what keeps many HME providers from taking the plunge into retail, says Don Mayslak, director of store design for Lisle, Ill.-based Gladson Store Design Group. He spends his days trying to assuage that fear as he guides HMEs, pharmacies and other specialty providers into the world of retail home health sales. Mayslak and his team of merchandisers replace their clients' fear with knowledge of proper store layout, product placement and retail best practices. Here's what Mayslak had to say when...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.--There are 3,500 professionals who hold the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, but only a handful helping to lead the HME industry. In January, Karyn Estrella, executive director of New England Medical Equipment Dealers (NEMED), joined those ranks. Estrella spoke with HME News recently about the difficulty of earning the credential - “Two weeks into it, I started to question myself, 'Should I go forward?'” she said - and what it means for her members. HME...