Archive: September 2023

YARMOUTH, Maine – It’s been a challenging year for M&A in the home medical equipment sector, as broader economic conditions have put many buyers on standby, say analysts.   For buyers – both strategic and investors – higher employee wages and increased delivery costs have made them take a closer look at bottom lines and have decreased their appetite for acquisitions, says Pat Clifford.  “After years of acquisitions, the buyers are kind of taking...

WASHINGTON – A new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would allow Medicare beneficiaries to pay the difference to upgrade to a titanium or carbon fiber manual wheelchair.  Right now, if a consumer wants a titanium or carbon fiber manual wheelchair, they must pay for the full cost of the wheelchair out of pocket, have their provider file a non-assigned claim on their behalf and, if approved, wait to receive 80% of the Medicare allowable.  “These numbers aren’t...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – WellSky’s participation in Moving Health Home gives the company a seat at the table with big names like Amazon and Intermountain Healthcare as they work to change federal and state policy to make the home a “powerful” clinical site of care.  Here’s what Tim Ashe, WellSky’s chief clinical officer, had to say about why it’s important for stakeholders with various viewpoints to unite behind home care as part of the “total...

YARMOUTH, Maine – O&P Woman of the Year Nikki Grace-Strader wears a lot of hats at Osseointegration International, but chief among them is educating patients and clinicians about osseointegration, a procedure that enabled her to walk again. When Grace-Strader lost a leg several years after due to a spinal cord injury, she eventually underwent OI to directly connect a prosthesis to the end of her residual limb. “I became really passionate about exploring options for patients who...

AMSTERDAM – Philips disagrees with “characterizations” in recent articles that the company knew for several years about problems with certain ventilators and sleep apnea devices.  ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sept. 27 published an article saying that Philips knew about a dangerous breakdown inside its widely used ventilators and sleep apnea machines but waited years before recalling the devices in 2021.  In a statement, Philips said it had previously...

AMSTERDAM – Philips disagrees with “characterizations” made in recent articles that say the company knew for several years about problems with certain ventilators and sleep apnea devices.  ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sept. 27 published an article saying that Philips knew about a dangerous breakdown inside its widely used ventilators and sleep apnea machines but waited years before recalling the devices in 2021.  In a statement, Philips said it had...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association applauded a class action lawsuit filed against CVS Health, Caremark and Aetna that aims to recoup millions of dollars in wrongful back-end penalties for Medicare Part D prescriptions, otherwise known as pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration fees.  “It’s payback time,” said B. Douglas Hoey, CEO. “Finally, community pharmacies have a chance to recover DIR fees that were unfairly taken. PBMs have...

ATLANTA – Trella Health, a provider of market intelligence and integrated customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, has joined Integra’s group purchasing organization (GPO). “Our partnership with Integra Partners marks an exciting collaboration dedicated to fueling business growth for HME suppliers,” said Scott Tapp, CEO of Trella Health. “With Trella Health’s market data insights and CRM platform empowering growth opportunities, and Integra’s expertise...

NORTHFIELD, Ill. – Medline celebrated its now fully operational 710,000-square-foot distribution center in Salt Lake City with a ribbon cutting ceremony and facility tours. The new distribution center is three times the size of its previous facility in the city. “Medline has history in Salt Lake City and a larger facility will help us take care of more health care facilities across the continuum of care,” said Steve Miller, executive vice president of supply chain. “Today...

FRISCO, Texas – Soleo Health has ranked 16th on Dallas Business Journal’s list of the 50 Fastest-Growing Middle Market Companies throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For the past six years, Soleo Health has been ranked by the local business journal as one of the fastest-growing mid-sized companies in North Texas, which is considered among the nation’s largest metropolitan growth areas and most competitive U.S. marketplaces. “We are honored once again to be recognized on...