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Archive: August 2020


News

'Life has changed' for HME providers

August 28, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor

YARMOUTH, Maine - What's it like to be an HME provider in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic? It runs the gamut from watching your business dry up, to feeling like the mask police to not being able to hug your mom. “Life has changed,” wrote Richard Burks in Kansas in response to a recent HME Newspoll. Business fluctuations While providers report increases in referrals for home oxygen therapy, one of the front-line therapies for COVID-19, referrals for most...

Coronavirus, Home Medical Equipment (HME), Pandemic


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NCPA opens registration for virtual convention

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Registration is now open for the National Community Pharmacists Association 2020 Annual Convention, held virtually Oct. 18-19. The event features education for pharmacy teams inspired by pharmacy owners, a one-stop exhibition for products and services, speakers and networking opportunities. “This will be the most convenient, most affordable NCPA Convention we've ever had,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA. “If you were unable to attend in previous...

National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)


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Mobility

Rehab roundup: Data gathering and advocating

August 28, 2020Liz Beaulieu, Editor

YARMOUTH, Maine - The new CRT Remote Services Consortium has launched two surveys - one for clinicians, and one for suppliers and manufacturers - to collect information about how they're using telehealth and remote services, respectively. The consortium also seeks to collect information on what are the opportunities and challenges around these services, and how they should be used in the future. “The information will give us some good data - also some commentary - that we can include as we...

Complex Rehab, CRT Remote Services Consortium, Telehealth


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NCPA urges investigation of longstanding mail-order issues

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging the House Ways and Means Committee to broaden its investigation into potential delivery delays for mail-order medications due to changes at the U.S. Postal Service to include long-term problems with mail-order prescription plans. The NCPA has long said mail order has led to damaged or missing medications in some cases, expensive medication waste in others, conflicts of interest, and decreased patient choice and access to reliable...

National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)


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News

OIG calls on CMS to improve consistency in reviews

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

WASHINGTON - Medicare contractors were inconsistent in how they reviewed overpayments during the appeals process, says the Office of Inspector General in a new report. Although MACs and QICs generally reviewed appealed extrapolated overpayments in a manner that conforms with existing requirements, CMS did not always provide sufficient guidance and oversight to ensure that these reviews were performed in a consistent manner, the report states. The most significant inconsistency involved...

Medicare, Office of Inspector General (OIG)


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Specialty Providers

Oswald's Pharmacy pivots with testing and more

August 28, 2020Tracy Orzel

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Oswald's Pharmacy has been learning new ones since 1875. Its newest trick? Covid-19 antibody testing. “I think what's exciting about it is we're able to turn on a dime and try something new because we're just a single independent pharmacy and I think it's an added benefit to the community,” said Alex Anderson, general manager and 6th generation family member. “Even people who...

Community Pharmacy, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Oswald's Pharmacy, Pandemic


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Specialty Providers

Post office troubles concern providers

August 28, 2020Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

YARMOUTH, Maine - A perfect storm of delays at the U.S. Postal Service combined with an increase in demand for mail-order supplies due to the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for providers. For Doral, Fla.-based US Med, the biggest issue is that Medicare requires beneficiaries to refill their prescriptions within a certain timeframe, says Mary Ellen Conway, chief compliance officer. “It's a very short window for refills of diabetes testing supplies, and there...

Coronavirus, Diabetes Supplies, Mail order, Pandemic


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VMI modifies van for Health Care Hero

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Chrysler and ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” surprised Massachusetts nurse Florence Njoroge with a brand new 2020 Chrysler Pacifica that was modified for wheelchair access by Vantage Mobility International. The acknowledgement of the donation took place during Kimmel's weekly Health Care Hero segment, which pays tribute to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. “We at VMI understand how important it is for families to have a safe and reliable vehicle...

Accessibility, Jimmy Kimmel, Vantage Mobility International (VMI), Vehicle, Wheelchair


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Also Noted

Medtrade West seeks proposals

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

PHOENIX - Medtrade West is calling for presentations. Sessions for the event, which takes place April 12-14 at the Phoenix Convention Center, cover a wide range of topics, including legal, retail, business operations, executive leadership and planning, Medicare updates, and sales and marketing. People interested in submitting a proposal are encouraged to form a panel of three or more to present. Proposals are due Sept. 18 and may be submitted here.  

2021, Home Medical Equipment (HME), Medtrade


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F&P launches mask setup app

August 28, 2020HME News Staff

IRVINE, Calif. - Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has launched the F&P myMask, an app to guide obstructive sleep apnea patients who are new to CPAP therapy through the mask setup process. Step-by-step videos guide patients through mask fitting, fine-tuning, cleaning and assembly, offering easy access to instructions and support, and complementing the care of the health care provider. The F&P myMask app is now available in the USA on iOS and Android devices with the following masks: Evora, Vitera, Simplus,...

CPAP Mask, F&P myMask, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Sleep Apnea


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