Archive: February 2014

I was as surprised as the next person to see this week's advance notice of proposed rule making from CMS detailing its plans to not only spread bid pricing to non-bid areas (I guess we knew that one was coming), but also possibly change the game entirely by bundling payments for certain HME like CPAP devices. That's “bigger than competitive bidding itself,” one provider told me. CMS says about the move: “We believe it may be appropriate to modify the Medicare payment structure for...

If you remember The Roy Rogers Show, you might remember Roy's sidekick, Pat, driving the old Jeep nicknamed Nellie Belle. On occasion, Nellie Belle would get out of control and Pat would yell, “Whoa Nellie Belle." (It was shortened by most people to just plain "Whoa Nellie.") Today, we have a different vehicle out of control: Medicare. Someone needs to holler "Whoa Nellie!” and put a stop to this runaway, out of control renegade before someone gets hurt. Home medical equipment...

ELYRIA, Ohio - Lou Slangen, Invacare's executive vice president and chief product officer, will retire at the end of February after 27 years with the company, according to a Feb. 27 release. John Remmers, senior vice president of global supply chain and operations since 2010, will take over responsibility for North American commercial operations, according to the release. Since he joined Invacare, Remmers has also overseen global engineering and commercial operations for China and Top End. “He...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Aeroflow Healthcare has signed new insurance contracts with Cypress Care, Arbor Health, Indiana University and NJ Medicaid, according to a Feb. 28 release. The DME provider is now in-network with 24 state Medicaid plans and hundreds of other insurance providers. As reimbursement cuts, bidding and audits drive providers to close their doors, the contracts allow Aeroflow to step in, said Ryan Bullock, director of sales and marketing. “The additional contracts will position Aeroflow...

BEDFORD, Mass. - Insulet's revenues in the fourth quarter of 2013 were $68.5 million, an increase of 19% over the same period in 2012, the company announced Feb. 27. Revenues grew on patient adoption of the OmniPod insulin pump, and despite a reduction in revenues from Neighborhood Diabetes, a subsidiary, due to competitive bidding. Gross profits for the quarter were $33 million, compared to $25.3 million over the same period in 2012. For the year ended Dec. 31, Insulet's revenues were $247.1 million,...

WASHINGTON - Last week's proposal to expand competitive bidding nationwide was likely a rude awakening for HME providers who have been sitting on the sidelines thinking that the program wouldn't directly affect them, say stakeholders.“Many folks thought it was going to crash and burn,” said John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for The VGM Group. “Folks that haven't been engaged better get engaged.”Under the Affordable Care Act, CMS is required to either expand...

YARMOUTH, Maine - In the wake of the Feb. 12 forum on audits, the big question is: Where does the HME industry go from here?From a legal perspective, one of the few options is a constitutional challenge that argues the backlog in processing appeals and the delay in assigning cases to the administrative law judges (ALJs) are obstructing due process, says healthcare attorney Edward Vishnevetsky.“But that's an uphill and costly battle,” said Vishnevetsky, an associate with Munsch Hardt....

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - When one of Michelle McMahon's clients moved from Wyoming to Mexico and began experiencing pain, she could not simply go adjust his seating system. So he asked her if she had Skype.“He said, 'Could I have you at least see me in my chair once over the computer?'” said McMahon, president of Frontier Access & Mobility. “Sure enough, I could see him and he could see me.”On Skype, McMahon talked his Mexican therapist through a mat evaluation to determine how to...

SEWELL, N.J., and EXETER, Pa. - A strategic alliance announced last week will make it easier for providers to offer Active Controls products on Pride Mobility/Quantum Rehab power wheelchairs.Per the alliance, providers can order a Pride/Quantum power wheelchair with, say, an Active Controls JoyBar already installed.“That was the greatest hurdle we had in the U.S. market,” said Jordan Flowers, general manager at Active Controls. “Providers were reluctant to install the products themselves...

ELYRIA, Ohio - Lou Slangen, Invacare's executive vice president and chief product officer, will retire at the end of February after 27 years with the company, according to a Feb. 27 release. John Remmers, senior vice president of global supply chain and operations since 2010, will take over responsibility for North American commercial operations, according to the release. Since he joined Invacare, Remmers has also overseen global engineering and commercial operations for China and Top End. “He...