Archive: March 2018
AAH on bid relief: 'We're not going away'
March 30, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
LAS VEGAS - After a brief timeout for Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas last week, AAHomecare officials are back at it in Washington, D.C.“We'll be lobbying again on the Hill with our champions,” President and CEO Tom Ryan told attendees at the Washington Update at Medtrade Spring on Wednesday. “We are also getting a meeting on the docket in the next week or so with (Health and Human Services) Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan. We're not going away.”Ryan acknowledged the sting of not...
Bachenheimer on the good fight
March 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
WASHINGTON - Cara Bachenheimer has a new gig that allows her to double-down on her efforts advocating for the HME industry.Bachenheimer is opening a Washington, D.C., office for Amarillo, Texas-based law firm Brown & Fortunato on June 1, a move that will expand her legislative and regulatory work beyond Invacare, where she has worked for more than 14 years.Here's what Bachenheimer, who will count Invacare as her first client, had to say about why lobbying is more important than ever before.HME...
In brief: Amazon wants to disrupt health care, VGM helps protect sleep contract
March 30, 2018HME News Staff
BOSTON - DME is one of five possible points of entry for Amazon to dominate the healthcare market, according to a new report from global management consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting.“Anyone who thinks of Amazon as just a very big digital retailer needs to think again,” says Rob Haslehurst, managing director at L.E.K and report co-author. “They have repeatedly shown that they have the capabilities, the patience and the deep pockets to disrupt industry after industry. Health care...
Medtrade Spring enters new era
March 30, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas may be known as Disneyland for grownups, but at last week's Medtrade Spring, the mood was all business.
With competitive bidding's devastating effect on the HME industry, the number of attendees and exhibitors at the show has thinned, but those who were there had their sleeves rolled up, says Show Director Kevin Gaffney.
“They had some good conversations,” he said. “Everybody would like to see more people on the floor, but the companies that are...
AccessNSM joins VGM Live at Home
March 30, 2018HME News Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - AccessNSM, a division of National Seating & Mobility, has joined the VGM Live at Home nationwide community of home accessibility providers and certified modification contractors. NSM says the partnership will connect AccessNSM with VGM's network of business tools and resources, as well as vendor programs. “The new partnership with VGM is a natural fit for AccessNSM,” said Kalen McKenzie, vice president of the division. “VGM has made great strides bringing...
Parachute Health digitizes DME
March 30, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
NEW YORK - Healthcare technology platform Parachute Health has raised $5.5 million on its mission to kill the fax machine for DME orders.The company offers a standalone cloud-based website and an app in Epic's “App Orchard” that digitizes the process of determining insurance coverage, selecting providers, and sending and tracking orders for DME.“The end goal for Parachute is to solve this problem for patients of not getting the equipment they need when they need it,” said...
Attendees FLYP for new product at Medtrade Spring
March 29, 2018HME News Staff
LAS VEGAS - Medtrade Spring attendees tapped the FLYP Nebulizer for a gold in the New Product Pavilion's Providers' Choice Awards. X-top for Men received silver, and Werth Folding Walker Storage Rack received Bronze. FLYP by Convexity Scientific is described by company officials as a “game-changing, pocket-portable nebulizer” that's prescribed by physicians for respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD. X-top for Men by McAirland's is specifically designed for the male...
NSM joins AAH
March 29, 2018HME News Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - National Seating & Mobility has joined AAHomecare as a bronze corporate partner. NSM says the partnership is representative of the provider's ongoing commitment to public policies that protect access to manual and power complex wheelchairs and mobility related products. “We have been impressed by the scale, capability and effectiveness of AAHomecare in representing the critical areas of our industry,” said Bill Mixon, CEO of NSM. “With specialists on staff...
VGM helps protect sleep contract
March 29, 2018HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa - The VGM Group has helped providers in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia beat back CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield's plans to reduce the number of providers in its network that are authorized to provide CPAP equipment. The insurer planned to limit its network to a few providers after Feb. 15, 2019. When VGM heard from members about CareFirst's decision, it filed a complaint with the Maryland Insurance Administration and after some back and forth CareFirst agreed to allow...
Medtrade Spring 2018: What's the buzz?
March 29, 2018Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
As a reporter, I'm the one used to asking the questions. At this year's Medtrade Spring show I found myself on the receiving end many times.
Several people asked what product I'd seen I liked the best. Since I am not about to go on the record and play favorites, my answer instead was about the overall of trend of sleeker—and dare I say it, sexier—products coming to market.
Although I did look longingly at the sleek and steamy humidifiers at the booth across from us....