Archive: November 2010

It's diabetes awareness month—oh wait. It just ended (where does the time go?). I digress. Among the usual awareness raising campaigns and events, alongside calls to arms, I mean action, against America's obesity—and therefore TYPE 2 epidemic—a little debate among those of us in the know seems to have picked up a bit of steam. The big question: Should TYPE 1 be renamed (one could as easily argue in favor of re-branding TYPE 2)? It's an interesting question. While I, and I think...

The Sun Sentinel in Florida took on wheelchair pricing this week in a feature it calls "Waste Watch: Investigating Where Our Tax Dollars Go." I probably don't have to tell you that the author of the article compared Medicare vs. Internet pricing for wheelchairs. She states, for example, that Medicare paid $800 for a provider to supply a manual wheelchair to the wife of one Alan Siegel of Fort Lauderdale, a wheelchair that any Tom, Dick or Harry can buy for $99 online. The author cites other...

AUSTIN, Texas - Inova Labs isn't going to sell its portable oxygen concentrator, LifeChoice, to just any old HME provider. "To the HME who says, 'I just want a couple of units,' the answer is, 'No,'" said President David Shockley. "I'm interested in the one who says, 'I agree. We need to change our business model. We need to go non-delivery. We have to expand. We have to add new patients. Let's do this together.' That is the company we are looking for." After a soft rollout in 2009, Inova Labs...

I had an interesting chat with provider Bert Berns today. Berns has been in a wheelchair since 1982. When a person is first injured, he told me, it's hard to believe life isn't over. "No matter what they tell you," he said, 'that's eveybody's initial thought." But life isn't over. You just have to do things differently, said Berns. "It's rolling instead of walking," he told me. That might be a good thing for providers to keep in mind as they nervously await competitive bidding. If one can consider...

ROCHESTER, Mich. - Wright & Filippis has a cab ride in Las Vegas to thank for a new initiative that will not only save the provider money but also make it more “green.” “Our leadership was attending Medtrade West three years ago and took a cab that was powered by propane,” said Tom Hopkins, the distribution and fleet manager at Wright & Filippis. “A.J. Filippis (president) came back and said, 'We should be looking into this.'” Fast forward to Medtrade...

It's the day before Thanksgiving so I don't want to tee off on anyone—at least not excessively. But really, what's up with some seniors out there? They are giving the "Greatest Generation" a bad name. I say this after reading through a recent HME News Poll. According to this poll, an overwhelming majority of providers—92%—report that their customers are having more trouble paying out of pocket this year than last year. That makes sense. Most seniors are on fixed incomes and with...

During an update at Medtrade on the separate benefit for complex rehab, attendees were given the chance to ask questions of  steering committee members, including Don Clayback, chairman of the committee and executive director of NCART. I always find it interesting to hear what providers are concerned about. Here are a few of their questions and Clayback's answers. Will the benefit include additional accreditation requirements for complex rehab providers? Clayback says if providers are accredited...

YARMOUTH, Maine - As if providers weren't already getting squeezed enough by reimbursement cuts, many report more difficulty collecting money from customers. An overwhelming majority of providers--92%--report that their customers are having more trouble paying out-of-pocket costs this year compared to last year, according to the results of a recent HME NewsPoll. Providers are having such a hard time, that more than half of them--56%--say they've been forced to write off at least 10% more co-pays...

ELYRIA, Ohio - A new analysis of Medicare's competitive bidding program paints a bleak picture of the winning bidders and raises concerns that many may not be qualified or have the financial resources to adequately serve beneficiaries. "We'll be hitting the Hill heavily next week with this information," said Cara Bachenheimer, Invacare's senior vice president of government relations. "We think it's important for members of Congress to see the full picture. All they hear is CMS's side and the fact...

MAMES drew 95 attendees to its annual fall conference Oct. 6-7 in Des Moines, Iowa. The theme of this year's conference was "The DME Picture: Will you be in it?" The event included an exhibit hall with 33 vendors. Feedback from providers and exhibitors was enthusiastic: "Great people, great show, great time," stated one exhibitor.