Archive: August 2010
Clean it, bag it, get it back out
August 31, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
In a recent thread on the NRRTS listserv, providers discussed the intricacies of cleaning wheelchairs, something that will take on a new sense of urgency, industry stakeholders say, if a provision to eliminate the purchase option for standard power wheelchairs takes effect, as planned, on Jan. 1, 2010.
Since, under the provision, providers will maintain ownership of their wheelchairs, if a Medicare beneficiary doesn't use his wheelchair for the full rental period, providers are going to want to clean...
First-month purchase option
August 31, 2010Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., are circulating a Dear Colleague letter to support the industry's efforts to delay a provision that eliminates the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs Jan. 1.
Stakeholders also expected to have a Dear Colleague letter circulated in the Senate this month.
"This gives us a good opportunity to quantify the level of support in Congress," said Seth Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility...
Guess HMEs aren't so different after all
August 31, 2010Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Our local Sunday paper does a Q&A in its job listings section (got to fill it with something, cause even in boom times there's a dearth of jobs in these parts). This weekly feature highlights a different type of job each week.
On the hot seat this week: Cheryl Pritchard, owner of A Special Place, a women's health boutique (great picture, Cheryl).
How, wondered I, would the mainstream media handle the intracacies of reporting on our odd little HME world?
Like any other business, apparently. Cheryl...
CMS: 'Interim list of suppliers' would create confusion
August 30, 2010HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has denied a request by 136 members of Congress that it release the names of the competitive bidding winners, AAHomecare has learned.
CMS announced the winning bid amounts in July, but it doesn't plan to release the names of the bidding winners until some time in September. That spurred Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., and Ralph Hall, R-Texas, and their co-signers to send CMS a letter on Aug. 11 asking for greater transparency in the process.
But AAHomecare has learned from congressional...
Bariatrics: Providers must raise awareness
August 29, 2010John Andrews
The obesity epidemic continues to expand the market for bariatric products, and manufacturers don't see that slowing down anytime soon. Through effective promotion and education, awareness is growing and fueling demand for larger, stronger and heavier-duty versions of DME.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that in 2008, the prevalence of obesity was 32% for men and 35% for women. The size of this demographic has gotten manufacturers' attention and...
Supracor aids Haiti
August 29, 2010HME News Staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Supracor has donated 200 new Stimulite wheelchair cushions worth $95,000 to Project Medishare, which is helping with relief efforts in Haiti, the company stated in a press release in late July. For people in Haiti with spinal cord injuries, the leading causes of death are wounds and infection, and wheelchair cushions are scarce. Stimulite uses a perforated honeycomb technology that allows heat to dissipate, moisture to evaporate and air to circulate. That technology makes them...
Mediware likes what HME offers
August 29, 2010Mike Moran
LENEXA, Kan. - Mediware Information Systems has $21 million in the bank and plans to spend a chunk of that developing software products and business services for HMEs and other alternate care providers.
"It's an area of growth because we believe more and more hospitals and reimbursement models will be driving the care for patients out of the four walls of the hospital," said John Van Baricum, vice president of marketing and communications.
Mediware provides software for hospitals and other healthcare...
Invacare shines in second quarter
August 29, 2010Mike Moran
ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare outperformed Wall Street's expectations in the second quarter, and company officials feel good about their chances to operate successfully under competitive bidding.
"If you are a provider, you have the broadest product line with us," CFO Rob Gudbranson told analysts during a July 22 conference call. "(With) all the things we can do to help the provider, I think we are well positioned to be the manufacturer of choice for the industry. We feel good about where we are."
That...
Catching up with Drive Medical
August 29, 2010Mike Moran
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. - For a company that's been quick to develop a DME product line that includes 2,500 items, Drive Medical has taken its sweet time rolling out an oxygen concentrator, but that was by design, said CEO Harvey Diamond.
Drive formed in 2000 but only introduced a concentrator earlier this year. The company could have done so sooner, but "we kept testing and testing and getting feedback from therapists as well as providers, kept tweaking so that when we finally came out with one,...
Breaking news: Graham-Field announces leadership change
August 27, 2010Mike Moran
I'm flying out Monday to Elryia, Ohio, and will spend Tuesday visiting with Invacare and getting up to speed with all the stuff they are doing these days. Before I go, I want to pass on this piece of news that came flying into my in-box at 3:46 pm this afternoon.
Here you go:
GF Health Products, Inc. ("Graham-Field") is pleased to announce the promotion of Ken Spett
to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer.
Spett's diverse background in the healthcare industry includes a variety...