Archive: November 2013

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - CVS Caremark has agreed to acquire Apria's home infusion business, Coram, for $2.1 billion, the companies announced today.“CVS Caremark and Coram share a mutual commitment to provide patients with quality care,” said John Figueroa, Coram CEO.Apria acquired Denver-based Coram for $350 million in 2007. Today, Coram has more than 4,500 employees and serves more than 20,000 patients each month through 85 locations. Third quarter revenues for the division, reported...

WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders are shaking their heads in disbelief at a final rule that makes certain complex rehab equipment capped-rental items effective April 1. In the Nov. 22 final rule, CMS designates 78 codes as capped-rental—including codes for tilt-in-space manual wheelchair, pediatric manual wheelchair, and manual wheelchair power-assist. Medicare estimates that this equipment will only be needed, on average, for eight months—saving Medicare $130 million over five...

ATLANTA - Fresh off his acquisition of MedAct Software, Brightree President and CEO Dave Cormack says the pace of consolidation among software companies is only going to increase.Brightree's acquisition of MedAct in November is the company's second this year and its fifth since 2008. The other acquisition this year: CareAnywhere, a software company serving home health and hospice providers.“It's all about interoperability,” Cormack said. “We're talking to some of the managed care...

YARMOUTH, Maine - HME providers struggling with decreased Medicare reimbursement are hunting for private-pay contracts, but they're not always quick to pull the trigger.There are providers like John Teevan, whose company, New Berlin, Wis.-based Home Care Medical inked a deal in October with Network Health to become an in-network provider of HME, respiratory, rehab and home infusion equipment. Network Health offers a range of health insurance plans to more than 135,000 plan members in northeast Wisconsin.“We're...

ROSEVILLE, Minn. - Among the millions of travelers to hit the road last week for the Thanksgiving holiday were young patients of Pediatric Home Service (PHS).“These days, vents are so much smaller, and CPAP and suction machines are more compact and portable,” said Dana Akerson, marketing supervisor. “They are traveling for the holidays and are able to be with family.”In November, PHS held one of several Facebook photo contests to draw attention to its young patients traveling...

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Numotion has purchased the custom mobility division of Barnes Healthcare Services, according to a Nov. 26 release. Barnes, which offers post-acute complex care in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, will now focus on pharmacy, respiratory, nutrition and medical supplies. “The addition of Barnes' seven locations in Georgia and Florida greatly expands our coverage and improves access to complex rehab technology to residents throughout the region,” said Bill Boyce, regional vice...

HOUSTON - The American Association of Breast Care Professionals (AABCP) has announced plans for several events throughout 2014 to raise political and public awareness for the need for post mastectomy services. The campaign will include basic education and explanations of what post mastectomy services are and how these medically necessary items differ from normal lingerie or aesthetic beauty products. More information about the effort is available at www.aabcp.org.

101 Mobility Tampa partnered with Harmar to donate and install a wheelchair lift as part of an effort to build an accessible home for injured Army Staff Sergeant (SSG) Alex Dillmann. Dillmann will receive the house Dec. 5�New Berlin, Wisc.-based Home Care Medical this week launched a redesigned website with additional educational materials, a promotions page and a new careers page.

LAKE WALES, Fla. - 3B Medical's iCodeConnect, a web-based data management system, now features SD card functionality, the company announced Nov. 22. The iCodeConnect system allows DME providers and physicians to store patient data, generate sleep reports, exchange notes, and manage patients efficiently. The upgrade will allow the iCodeConnect patient management portal to integrate with the portable memory cards.

We've written stories in the past about how home medical equipment allows people to travel to visit friends and relatives for the holidays. This year, I spoke with the folks at Pediatric Home Service about a photo contest they are holding that shows how vents and other HME allows medically fragile children to do just that. It was a nice contrast to the usual stuff about seniors and oxygen tanks (not that there's anything wrong with that). This allows the provider to not only highlight the services...