Archive: September 2015

DENVER, Colo. - YouCan TooCan Home Medical Supply has opened a new store in Colorado Springs, it announced today. The 2,500-square-foot store offers scooters, wheelchairs, lift chairs, respiratory equipment and aids to daily living. The store is owned by Marvin Holland, who acquired it in November 2014.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association has launched a five-part video series that looks at how community pharmacies can adapt to changing healthcare models and improve patient care. Topics include the role of technology, marketing, and new models of payment, according to a press release. “Pharmacy is changing and the shift toward quality standards and value-based patient care presents opportunities, as well as challenges,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. “Community...

WINAMAC, Ind. - BraunAbility has signed an agreement to sell to Patricia Industries, a division of Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB. BraunAbility will join Permobil on Patricia Industries' roster of “high-quality, high-growth” companies, according to a press release. “With the support of Patricia Industries, we will be positioned to accelerate our rate of growth, powered by product innovation, development of our brand promise within the communities we serve and continued...

Brightree's electronic health record solution for home health and hospice has been selected by Merida Health Care Group. Merida already uses Brightree's solution for HME…The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association has announced the winners of its annual student poster awards: Tyler Klenow has received the Otto and Lucille Becker Award for his orthotic abstract, “A Functional Comparison of Carbon Fiber AFO and Two Modular KAFO Conditions Using Outcome Measures in a Veteran...

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Craig H. Nielsen Foundation has awarded a one-year, $49,000 grant to Barbara Crane and Laura Cohen to develop and deploy a seating and wheeled mobility training curriculum for entry level physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, and for continuing education for practicing clinicians. “There are limited training opportunities for professionals to gain the skills needed to prescribe a wheelchair effectively, particularly at the pre-professional level,” a...

ALGONA, Wash. - Betting that home accessibility is about to take off in a big way, EZ-Access is positioning itself as a “one-stop shop solution” for HME providers in that market, says CEO Don Everard.The manufacturer of portable and modular ramps made its first move earlier this month, when it acquired Worldwide Mobility, a Mesa, Ariz.-based manufacturer of powered vehicle lifts. More acquisitions are on the way, Everard says.“Worldwide Mobility represents us finalizing our line...

In our professional life, most of us have been exposed to the definition of insanity. As the home and durable medical equipment industry manages multiple challenges within the sector, one constant remains true: we chase paper. This workflow is simply unsustainable and no longer a viable option to managing physician orders, documentation, audits and additional payer requirements. By manually managing paper, faxes and phone calls, our industry produces insufficient insight and data related to patient...

User reviews on Yelp or Google are more powerful than people think, says Justin Racine, marketing and e-commerce manager at Geriatric Medical.“When people buy medical supplies, either for themselves or loved ones, they want to make sure the place they're getting those products from is reliable and trustworthy,” he said.A positive customer review can add value to a business.“When people purchase online, the cost of an item can be extremely important, but if a review is positive and...

When it comes to accreditation, many private insurers need to get with the times, accreditation organizations say. Private insurers are requiring accreditation, too, but, in some cases, they're listing only a limited number of the 10 accreditation organizations that Medicare has approved for the task. “The credentialing departments within the BCBSs and the Aetnas may be using paperwork and policies and processes that go back before the deemed status days of DME, so they may be like,...

BOSTON - MassHealth has given stakeholders its word that the agency will not pursue volume purchasing for HME like incontinence products.The state in May included language to allow the state's Medicaid program to contract directly with DME manufacturers and distributors, bypassing providers, in its proposed Medicaid budget for fiscal year 2016.Although the governor in July signed the budget into law, MassHealth is not required to contract with DME vendors.“We met with the department head of...