In brief: Ashvin AI debut, NCPA Pharmacist of the Year, Sleep Disruptors award 

BOSTON – Ashvin AI, a startup based here that calls itself “the financial operating system for DME providers,” emerged from stealth mode at the HME News Business Summit on Oct. 20 in Cleveland.

Behind the company are: 

• Mathew Mammen, co-founder and CEO, who previously founded Somnoware and is chairman of Prochant 
• Nagarjuna Venna, co-founder and chairman, who co-founded BitSight and lectures at MIT; and 
• Matt Cherian, CPO, and Sebastien Boyer, CTO 

The company, which closed on a seed round in 2025, says its system results in referrals cleared in minutes, same-day patient setups and a 77% reduction in first-time claim denials. 

“Our mission is deeply personal,” said Mammen. “I’ve built companies before, but this one comes from lived experience. DME providers lose revenue, referrals, and patient trust because the system is broken. We’re here to fix that — with technology that makes financial operations certain, not just faster.” 

The company says its system provides: 

• One source of truth – every referral, prior auth, coverage check, proof-of-delivery, and claim in one place. 
• Actionable in real time – decisions made instantly, with full transparency into why. 
• Absolute certainty – providers are “clear to ship” in hours and “clear to cash” in days 

NCPA releases 2025 NCPA Digest 

NEW ORLEANS – The 2025 NCPA Digest, sponsored by Cardinal Health, was released this week as part of the National Community Pharmacists Association’s Annual Convention, being held Oct. 18-21 in New Orleans.  

The NCPA Digest found that independent community pharmacies represent nearly 36% of all retail pharmacies in the United States. It continues to be true, the organization says, that no single pharmacy chain has more stores than all independents combined.  

“Independent community and long-term care pharmacies have long been known for the many indispensable services and quality care they offer,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist. “With economic pressures on pharmacies continuing unabated, it is critical that policymakers change the pharmacy payment model to compensate for value and recognize pharmacists for the services they do and can provide. This fight continues, with the help of the NCPA Digest report and the goal of healthier pharmacies and patients.”  

Highlights from the NCPA Digest covering the independent community pharmacy marketplace include:  

• The estimated number of independent community pharmacies declined. There were 18,960 locations as of July 2025, down from 18,984 in June 2024. 
• Independent pharmacy represented a $103 billion marketplace in 2024, a year in which the industry saw a 10-year high in the cost of goods, a 10-year high in average annual sales, and a 10-year low in gross profits. This reflects factors like high cost, high-volume prescriptions such as GLP-1 agonists, low or below-cost third-party reimbursements, and inflation (which showed up in wages and overhead costs). 
• In 2024, the average prescription volume was 67,601 prescriptions per store, compared to 59,644 in 2023, potentially caused by pharmacy closures reducing pharmacy access for patients. 

This year, the report also details the USC-NCPA Pharmacy Access Initiative that monitors pharmacy closures across the country and their effects on pharmacy shortage areas or pharmacy deserts. Among other things, the initiative finds that roughly one in eight neighborhoods in the U.S. meet its criteria for pharmacy shortage areas.  

NCPA names Brittany Sanders Pharmacist of the Year 

NEW ORLEANS – The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is pleased to announce that Brittany Sanders of the Pharmacy at Wellington in Little Rock, Ark., is the winner of the 2025 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year Award.  

The award, which is sponsored this year by CPA, was presented as part of NCPA’s Annual Convention held Oct. 18-21 in New Orleans.  

The annual award is given to a pharmacist who exhibits exemplary professional leadership, service to community, and commitment to independent pharmacy. It is named in honor of Willard B. Simmons, a former executive secretary of NCPA (then known as the National Association of Retail Druggists) and a longtime trustee of the NCPA Foundation.  

Sanders received her PharmD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy in 2005. She spent the next 10 years working in various capacities for a chain pharmacy before leaving to open the Pharmacy at Wellington in 2015 with her business partners. The pharmacy has since been recognized as Best Pharmacy on multiple platforms and was honored by the Arkansas Governor’s Office as the largest community pharmacy COVID-19 immunization site in the state in 2021.  

Sanders serves as a preceptor for the UAMS College of Pharmacy and is a member of the UAMS College of Pharmacy Admissions Committee. She is an Arkansas CPESN Luminary and, for the past several years, has served on the board of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, including as president during the recent legislative session critical to pharmacy in the state.  

The NCPA says her dedication to advancing the profession, independent pharmacy and her community has been recognized with honors, including as UAMS College of Pharmacy Outstanding Preceptor (2024 and 2025), Little Rock Soirée’s Class of 2024 Women to Watch, and the Arkansas Pharmacists Association Pharmacist of the Year Award (2020). 

AASM announces finalists for first Sleep Medicine Disruptors Innovation Award 

DARIEN, Ill. – Eight finalists will compete in November for the first Sleep Medicine Disruptors Innovation Award from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). 

An expert panel of nine AASM members reviewed and scored 23 entries according to their novelty, practicality and potential to improve sleep health and sleep care by solving a significant and widespread problem. The eight entries with the highest overall scores received an invitation to give a pitch presentation in Austin. 

Each finalist will compete for an award in one of two categories: diagnostics or therapeutics. The in-person and virtual attendees of Sleep Medicine Disruptors 2025 will select the two award winners. The finalists are: 

Innovation Award Finalists | Diagnostics 

• Anatomic polysomnogram by Bairitone Health 
• DormoVision X by Dormotech 
• SleepBreath-PD by Health Intelligence Lab 
• Onera Home PSG by Onera Technologies 

Innovation Award Finalists | Therapeutics 

• AD109 by Apnimed 
• Modius Sleep by Neurovalens 
• Nidra by Noctrix Health 
• PST-1 for Sleep Apnea by WhisperSom 

The award competition is part of Sleep Medicine Disruptors 2025, which will be held in person in Austin, Texas, and livestreamed Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15. 

In addition to nine featured lectures, the event will include the presentation of 25 abstracts during two poster sessions and oral presentation sessions. An exhibit hall will also feature products and services from leading companies in the industry. 

Registration information is available at aasm.org/disruptors. 

Erik Nelson receives NARD award 

NEW ORLEANS – Erik Nelson, owner of five pharmacies in the Spokane, Wash., and Post Falls, Idaho, areas, has received this year’s NARD Ownership Award from the National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation as part of NCPA’s Annual Convention in New Orleans. The NARD Ownership Award recognizes an independent community pharmacist who embraces entrepreneurial spirit through promotion and demonstrates excellence in the field of community pharmacy ownership. NARD, or the National Association of Retail Druggists, was for a century the name associated with independent pharmacy. The organization was founded in 1898, and now, as NCPA, represents the nation’s community pharmacists. The selection was made through a blind judging process to guarantee fairness and impartiality. Nelson is also the president of the Cascadia Pharmacy Group, which comprises 43 stores throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. “Erik Nelson exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation that defines the best of independent community pharmacy,” said Jeff Harrell, PharmD, president of NCPA and Cascadia Pharmacy Group, CEO. “From his remarkable start as a new graduate purchasing his first pharmacy to his leadership of multiple stores and the Cascadia Pharmacy Group, Erik has demonstrated that independent pharmacy ownership remains a vibrant and vital path for advancing patient care. His commitment to clinical services, mentorship, and community engagement sets a powerful example for the next generation of pharmacy owners.” 

Cheelcare looks to Dave Jones to expand dealer and clinical network 

TORONTO – Cheelcare, a manufacturer of assistive mobility devices, has appointed Dave Jones, who brings more than 30 years of executive sales and marketing experience in the complex rehab and durable medical equipment (DME) sectors, as director of U.S. sales. His career includes senior roles at Drive Medical, Mertis Healthcare, Quantum Rehab (Pride Mobility), Bodypoint and National Seating & Mobility (NSM), where he developed extensive relationships across providers, payers, manufacturers and group purchasing organizations. He has led national sales teams, managed continuing-education programs for assistive technology professionals (ATPs) and executed multi-channel growth strategies resulting in expanded product adoption and increased market penetration through the United States. "Dave's industry expertise and long-standing relationships with major rehabilitation networks will be instrumental as we scale our presence in the U.S. market," said Allan Boyd, vice president of growth at Cheelcare. "With the recent CMS coding change, and the soon-to-launch Curio, his network and knowledge of the U.S. market will help us accelerate adoption and ensure that more users can access our innovative solutions to enhance their mobility and independence." As director of U.S. sales, Jones will oversee the expansion of Cheelcare's dealer and clinical network across key regional markets, focusing on enhancing product availability and end-user support for the company's Companion power-assist device and the upcoming U.S. launch of its Curio robotic complex rehab power wheelchair. His appointment follows the recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) update to the language of power mobility coding (HCPCS E0986) that now opens the door for Companion to qualify for submission under approved funding categories, which will significantly improve access to reimbursement and expand opportunities for U.S. distribution. 

Philips marks new chapter in mission to create better care 

AMSTERDAM – Royal Philips hosted Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Oct. 16 for a ceremony marking the official opening of the company's new global headquarters in Amsterdam. During the ceremony, which was attended by health care changemakers and leaders, policymakers and employees, Philips showcased a range of health technology innovations that are making global impact, from imaging and image-guided therapy systems to smart monitoring and personal health solutions. “At Philips, our purpose is clear,” said Roy Jakobs, CEO of Philips. “We develop innovations that create better care for more people around the world. Health care systems everywhere face growing pressure, from rising demand to workforce shortages. Our role is to help clinicians, providers and partners deliver high-quality, more sustainable care through technology that truly makes a difference. Our new global headquarters reflects who we are and how we work: open, collaborative and focused on impact and patient safety. It’s designed to bring people together, inspire innovation and strengthen our global relations. From here, we continue our mission to improve lives and help shape the future of healthcare worldwide.” Designed to foster collaboration and transparency, the new global headquarters provides a mix of focus areas, meeting spaces, and open zones that support diverse ways of working. The company chose to renovate rather than rebuild, giving new life to a 1950s structure using circular materials, energy-efficient systems and green surroundings. Read more about the building here. 

Aeroflow Health to offer lactation services to WellPoint Medicaid DC members 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Aeroflow Health is now offering lactation care services through Aeroflow Breastpumps to Medicaid members of Wellpoint District of Columbia. Aeroflow will now connect new and expecting mothers enrolled in DC’s Wellpoint Medicaid with a robust network of lactation consultants through virtual appointments and courses at little to no cost to them. Wellpoint Medicaid members now have access to educational courses and one-on-one appointments with certified lactation consultants, a database of free care guides, mental health resources and a supportive online community moderated by breastfeeding educators. These resources help parents prepare for breastfeeding, childbirth, infant nutrition and early postpartum baby care. Support is available before birth and continues as families navigate life with a newborn. “Lactation classes and general resources play a vital role in advancing maternal and infant health outcomes. We are grateful for the opportunity to deliver such personalized support to mothers in DC seeking guidance and confidence in their breastfeeding journey,” said Amanda Minimi, VP of health solution marketing & operations at Aeroflow Health. “Every family deserves the knowledge and resources to succeed during this critical stage of motherhood. This partnership removes common barriers to maternal care and ensures all Wellpoint Medicaid members have easy access to the tools that create healthier beginnings.” 

• Related: Breastfeeding support has small price, pays large dividends, stakeholders say