Archive: September 2023

WASHINGTON – The HME industry needs to be “prepared for anything,” stakeholders say, to get reimbursement relief in place for 2024.  Stakeholders converged virtually on Capitol Hill on Sept. 20 as part of AAHomecare’s Washington Legislative Conference to push the DMEPOS Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5555), a bill that would provide a 90/10 blended Medicare reimbursement rate for most home medical equipment products in competitive bidding areas for all of 2024 and extend...

LEBANON, Tenn. – Permobil’s acquisition of PDG Mobility not only fills a gap in the company’s portfolio in the Americas for a high-quality tilt-and-recline manual wheelchair but also brings on board a team of experts for further development, says Chuck Witkowski.  “It’s always about the people and their expertise,” said Witkowski, president, Permobil Americas. “The more we learned about the company, the more we felt like they shared our vision of...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Elaine Stewart, an ATP, CRTS, for National Seating & Mobility, has been involved in a leadership capacity at NRRTS for about 15 years, working her way up from chair review to past president, so when she says it’s important to be involved, she walks the talk.   Stewart, who, along with Carey Britton, was recently named a Simon Margolis Fellow, talked with HME News about why NRRTS is instrumental to the complex rehab industry and why she thinks the organization’s...

YARMOUTH, Maine – Technology has been on the minds of a lot of people these days. You can’t open the New York Times without seeing yet another article on ChatGPT or AI in general.  The former I find particularly concerning as a writer, not just because I don’t want my words cribbed by some work-shy, wannabe wordsmith, but because I think we’re already becoming less able to think critically and individually, even before we try outsourcing the need to, you know, think.   More...

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – AdaptHealth and Crispin Teufel have agreed to terminate Teufel’s employment contract.  The company had appointed Teufel as CEO in June, with a start date of Sept. 1, but he was sued in August by former employer Linde, which was seeking to block his appointment for an unspecified time. In the lawsuit, Linde alleged breach of contract, breach of duty of loyalty and misappropriation of trade secrets.   In a filing in late August with the U.S....

NATICK, Mass. – Customatic Technologies is expanding the reach of its Independence Bed through an exclusive distribution agreement with Journey Health & Lifestyle.   Journey will sell the bed on its e-commerce site, as well as through its network of stores, under the UpBed Independence brand.  “Since launching the Independence Bed, we have seen a strong response due to consumer needs and growth from both the home medical equipment and brick-and-mortar furniture categories,”...

EVANSTON, Ill. – Synapse Health has hired Tim Frederick as chief technology officer. Most recently, Frederick led the product engineering teams at Alto Pharmacy, a $1 billion retail and specialty pharmacy, and prior to that, he led the engineering groups at Uber during its hyper growth phase. “We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing Tim on board in a time of such exponential growth for our organization,” CEO Tony Kilgore said. “His experience with product development, background...

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – BodiMetrics, maker of the circul pro Ring, a smart ring oximeter that is proven to address chronic sleep and respiratory conditions in all skin tones, has joined the Innovator’s Network of the American Heart Association Center for Health Technology & Innovation. The center is focused on building and fostering health technology relationships to develop innovative and scalable solutions. “We are excited to join the association’s Innovator’s Network...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Permobil will hold an open house event Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at ROHO’s Belleville, Ill., manufacturing facility to celebrate the company’s 50 years of making wheelchair cushions. There are more than 200 employees at the facility, and the products made there are sold in more than 65 countries. Permobil has invited family, friends and employees to attend the celebration, which will include games, food, giveaways, plant tours, testimonials and speeches....

PRINCETON, N.J. – Parachute Health has hired Rob Boeye, formerly executive vice president at Brightree, as commercial leader – HME. Boeye joins Parachute Health with more than 25 years of experience working with HME providers to drive product innovations and digital transformation. At Brightree, he led initiatives to help providers improve business performance through workflow automation and analytics. "We are thrilled to welcome Rob to the Parachute Health team,” said Catie...