Archive: November 2018
Brightree launches digital hub
November 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ATLANTA - Brightree has added a patient engagement tool to the toolboxes of its HME provider customers.At Medtrade in October, the company debuted Patient Hub by Brightree, a mobile app that automates and simplifies how providers connect with their patients. It had the app on display at its booth on a jumbo-sized smart phone that Steve Rogers, vice president, product management, dubbed “phonezilla.”“We wanted to give providers a tool where they could communicate where people communicate...
In brief: CMS extends comment period; DJO sells, Aeroflow buys
November 30, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS has extended a comment period for its plans to add new product categories to the competitive bidding program. The agency will now accept comments through Dec. 17. CMS included the new categories—ventilators and off-the-shelf knee and back braces—in a recent final rule. The proposal caught the industry by surprise and the inclusion of vents, in particular, has stakeholders concerned. AAHomecare has formed a ventilator workgroup to develop comments to the proposal. The...
Scholarly approach: Keys to financial stability
November 30, 2018Tracy Orzel
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Olivia Patton, chief compliance officer for Verus Healthcare, recently wrote a dissertation analyzing the financial stability of a Medicare respiratory contract supplier.HME News spoke to Patton about her findings and how HME providers can remain in business despite reimbursement cuts.HME News: Why did you choose to research this topic?Olivia Patton: DME providers are going out of business left and right, and what I wanted to know is, how do you actually stay financially...
Groups re-energize their marketing efforts
November 30, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa - A group of HME industry advocates convened at VGM's headquarters in November for a workshop to share best practices for digital marketing and social media consumer-focused campaigns.Their goal: to use these campaigns to advance grassroots legislative efforts that benefit the industry.“For the first time, representatives from (a number of) industry groups have joined forces to better engage the communities we serve through grassroots campaigns on social media, with a unified...
Technology reshapes incontinence, skin, wound care
November 30, 2018John Andrews
Technology may not be the first word that springs to mind in reference to the incontinence, skin and wound care market, but perhaps its time that it took front and center. Innovations in connected care and therapeutic materials are becoming prominent in the category and offer viable applications for HME providers.One option for the incontinence segment just launched in September: the DFree portable bladder monitor from San Diego-based Triple W. The wearable product detects bladder volume levels and...
U.S. Rehab releases FMA data
November 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WATERLOO, Iowa - The best equipment provided by the best professionals results in the best care, according to the latest quality assurance data from U.S. Rehab members participating in its Functional Mobility Assessment tool.Almost 76% percent of patients report that they haven't fallen after receiving new equipment, compared to 48% who report they haven't fallen with their existing equipment, the FMA tool shows.“It shows that falls are affected dramatically by the right equipment,” said...
Q&A: Sandra Canally: You may be accredited, but are you exemplary?
November 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ATLANTA - Much like HME providers, The Compliance Team has had to reinvent itself over the years. The Spring House, Pa.-based accrediting organization, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has diversified into different post-acute care markets and launched additional products, including the new Exemplary Provider designation for Patient-Centered Respiratory Home, and in the process grown to 35 employees. Here's what Sandra Canally, the only woman to own an accrediting organization, had...
Short takes: Medtrade, BOC
November 30, 2018HME News Staff
On Dec. 3, SmartSaver Conference Passes will be available for Medtrade Spring, April 16-18 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The passes are $99 and allow full access to educational sessions and the expo hall. SmartSaver Expo Passes are $25 and allow full access to the expo hall. “For those who already know they are going to Medtrade Spring, these are the rates to grab,” said Sarah Varner, marketing director. “The conference pass offers a $100 savings over Early...
Coalition pushes leadership to pass accessories bill
November 30, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The ITEM Coalition has sent a second letter to leaders of the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees in the House of Representatives, urging them to pass H.R. 3730. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and John Larson, D-Conn., would stop CMS from using competitive bidding-related pricing for accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs. The letter follows up on an earlier letter sent in September. “We now urge you to pass this important legislation before...
Reliable Medical Supply positions for growth
November 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. - Reliable Medical Supply has grown organically to four locations in Minnesota, but with an outside investor now on board, it has set its sights on expanding through acquisition into new geographical markets.The first area of focus for the company, whose top product categories are complex rehab and vents: buying another company that will allow it to better serve patients in western Wisconsin.“There are patient access issues out there,” said Debra Kalk, president...