In brief: House hearing, Rhythm warranty, Libre assists & promotions abound 

WASHINGTON – The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health is holding a hearing on Jan. 8 on legislative proposals to support patient access to Medicare services, including several related to durable medical equipment (DME), AAHomecare reports. 

The Health Subcommittee’s discussion will include: 

• H.R. 2005, DMEPOS Relief Act of 2025 – AAH Issue Brief 
• H.R. 1703, Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025 – AAH Issue Brief 
• H.R. 2902, Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act of 2025 – Multi-stakeholder letter in support HR 2902 and Senate companion bill 

AAHomecare’s ask before the hearing: If you are a stakeholder who is represented by a member of the Health Subcommittee, please ask them to speak in support of the bills. The association instructs stakeholders to go here for additional messaging for outreach to members of the subcommittee. 

The hearing, which is scheduled to start at 10:15 EST, will be livestreamed at energycommerce.house.gov. 

Rhythm Healthcare extends warranty for oxygen concentrators 

NEW YORK – Rhythm Healthcare has extended the warranty for its most popular oxygen concentrator models, moving coverage from three to five years. The company’s five-year warranty now applies to the following models: 

• Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs): P2, P2-E6, P2-E7 
• Stationary oxygen concentrators (SOCs): LM5BA 

At the core of Rhythm’s decision to extend the warranty is the company’s Rhythm Resolve program, which provides brand new replacement units instead of repaired units. 

“Offering a five-year warranty is a powerful statement of quality and trust,” said Mitch Yoel, COO. “Our defect rate is exceptionally low because every single returned unit under Rhythm Resolve is delivered directly to us for root cause analysis. We do not simply recirculate repaired units to customers and patients through service centers. This process allows us to pinpoint failure modes, iterate, implement engineering improvements, and sustain the highest possible product quality. We are proud to now offer the industry’s best warranty, providing our customers with two extra years of premium asset protection, at no additional charge.” 

Rhythm says the five-year warranty is effective immediately for all new purchases of the specified models. 

• Related: Rhythm Healthcare resolves to increase POC adoption. 
• Related: Mitch Yoel on the hidden economy of POCs. 

Abbott’s new Libre app feature helps with in-the-moment food decisions 

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. - Abbott has launched Libre Assist, a feature within the Libre app designed to help people living with diabetes better understand how the foods they eat affect their glucose levels. The company says, unlike traditional food logging apps that only give feedback after a meal is logged, Libre Assist helps people make informed mealtime decisions before they eat. 

"The Libre Assist feature is a gamechanger for me," said Shirley Bovshow, who lives with Type 2 diabetes and is one of the first to try Abbott's new feature. "Traditional food logging apps left me guessing. With Libre Assist I can see how a meal might affect my glucose before I eat – especially helpful when dining out or trying new foods. It gives me tips to reduce the glucose impact and my Libre 3 Plus sensor confirms the outcome afterward. The Libre app5 has become a go-to tool for me." Abbott is launching the new technology during CES 2026 in Las Vegas. 

How it works 

Libre Assist uses generative AI to predict how a food choice may affect a person's glucose levels. It then offers actionable and personalized meal guidance to support in-the-moment decisions. After the meal, it leverages data from Abbott's Libre CGM systems sensors to confirm the actual impact. 

What Libre Assist offers 

In-the-moment meal guidance: Before eating, users simply snap a photo or enter a text description of their food. The algorithm then identifies the ingredients and predicts the meal's potential glucose impact by displaying a color-coded rating: green for minor, yellow for moderate, and orange for major. Plus, it provides practical meal tips to help lower the potential glucose impact – like choosing plain Greek yogurt instead of flavored or eating leafy greens and proteins before starches. 

CGM integration: After a meal, Libre Assist shows the individual's personal glucose data from their Libre CGM systems sensor to show how the meal actually affected their glucose. This personalized feedback helps individuals understand their body's unique response to different food items, so they can make informed decisions in the future. 

Where to find it 

Libre Assist can be accessed within the Libre app5 by clicking on the Insights tab on the bottom navigation. 

Next Day Access announces new franchises in Wisconsin, Alabama 

MADISON, Wis. - Next Day Access has announced new franchises in South Central Wisconsin and Huntsville, Ala. 

Next Day Access South Central Wisconsin is owned and operated by Kayla and Josh Lalande. Kayla has spent the last 15 years as a medical social worker, assisting adults with various disabilities and their families in finding best practices and adjusting to the day-to-day challenges. “My work has centered on aging in place, care coordination and helping people navigate complex medical needs,” she said. “I am passionate about understanding what matters most to individuals and helping them find real solutions to keep doing what matters most.” Josh has more than 20 years of experience in complex project management.  

Next Day Access Huntsville is owned and operated by Dustin Shoupe. Shoupe spent more than 22 years in the defense industry, serving in the Army, Army National Guard, civil service and government contractor roles. He retired as Lieutenant Colonel in the National Guard and obtained his Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His wife, Katie, graduated with a Master of Health Science in occupational therapy from the Medical College of Georgia. “We wanted to not just own a business, but seek out a franchise that we would be personally enthusiastic about and that would bring a much-needed service to the community,” Shoupe said. “It provided the perfect opportunity to combine Dustin’s military service and Katie’s medical credentials. “We feel that we bring a very strong team to service our community in all things accessibility.” 

Next Day Access locations provide accessibility and mobility solutions to individuals of all ages. The company sells, delivers and installs solutions like wheelchair ramps, stairlifts, grab bars and more. 

Bellevue Healthcare names Joel Gallion CEO 

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Bellevue Healthcare (BHC) has promoted Joel Gallion to CEO. Gallion has served as president of the company since 2016. “Joel has spent 22 years with Bellevue Healthcare, earning every step along the way,” wrote Peter Norman, an executive at the company, in a recent LinkedIn post. “He’s been in the trenches – through the hard years, the growth years, and the everyday work that built this company. He doesn’t just understand the business; he helped build it along with several of our leadership team that have tremendous tenure and influence in all that we've accomplished. Promoting from within isn’t a slogan at Bellevue Healthcare – it’s how we’ve survived, grown, and stayed true to who we are.” Norman went on to write that the transition positions BHC to continue its growth trajectory of expanding within existing markets and into complementary markets across the western United States. The company opened a new location in Salem, Ore., in early 2025, its 22nd location overall. “Joel, along with our leadership team, will be aggressively looking for the right opportunities as we continue to build BHC into the most customer-oriented company in our industry,” Norman wrote. BHC celebrated its 25th year in business in 2025. The company was also named an HME Provider of the Year in 2022.  

ACU-Serve promotes Kyle Neese to VP 

AKRON, Ohio – ACU-Serve has promoted Kyle Neese to vice president of sales. “I’m excited for the opportunity and excited for what’s ahead for this team,” Neese wrote in a LinkedIn post. “We’ll continue to execute on strengthening revenue cycle performance, modernizing resupply and tying patient-first design to financial outcomes – because Results Matter.” ACU-Serve added Neese as senior account executive in 2024. He joined the HME News in 10 podcast later that year to talk about the "happy medium" between leveraging technological advancements and honoring patient experience in resupply. 

CHAP looks to Safley to help DME providers navigate regulatory changes 

ARLINGTON, Va. - Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) has appointed Timothy Safley, MBA, RRT, as strategic advisor for its durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) program. He will help CHAP advance practical, non-prescriptive standards that strengthen compliance, while supporting real-world operations in DMEPOS and adjacent service lines, the company says. He will also support CHAP’s education roadmap, simplifying self-evaluation tools and provider resources to make accreditation readiness more attainable and effective for organizations of all sizes, it says. “CHAP’s standards focus on what’s truly required without adding unnecessary burden in complying with CMS quality standards,” he said. “My goal is to help DMEPOS and pharmacy providers navigate upcoming regulatory changes and apply accreditation in ways that improve daily operations and, ultimately, help patients with activities of daily living, which in turn decreases the cost of care.” Safley brings more than three decades of leadership across DMEPOS, specialty and infusion pharmacy, and home health/hospice, including senior roles in national provider operations and the development of accreditation programs at a national accrediting organization. CMS began requiring annual resurveys and reaccreditation on Jan. 1. 

It’s official: Accendra Health goes live on NYSE, unveils new website  

RICHMOND, Va. – Accendra Health began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 2 under the ticker symbol ACH. The company also launched a new website: www.accendrahealth.com. This follows the completion of the sale of its former Products & Healthcare Services business and the transition away from its Owens & Minor brand. Accendra Health has said the name change affects only the name of the parent corporation and is intended to better reflect its strategic direction and future organizational focus as a leader in the home-based care market. It will continue to use and operate under the Apria and Byram Healthcare brands. In October, Owens & Minor announced it had signed a definitive agreement to sell its Products & Healthcare Services business to Platinum Equity for $375 million in cash. More recently, the company announced the departure of two executives in connection with the sale: Andrew G. Long, executive vice president, CEO of Products & Healthcare Services, and Michael Lowry, senior vice president, corporate controller and chief accounting officer. 

Dexcom issues correction for G6 software 

WASHINGTON – Dexcom has issued a correction for Dexcom G6 and G6 Pro Software due to an identified bug that can cause the app to terminate unexpectedly, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a result of the bug, the user may not receive estimated glucose values, alarms or alerts. If a user is unaware that the app has terminated, there is potential for missed detection of a high blood sugar (hyperglycemic) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemic) event. The correction only affects users of v.1.15.0 of the Android US App and does not apply to other users. All affected devices have been updated to resolve this issue, and the FDA advises users to upgrade from app version 1.15.0 as soon as possible. Dexcom recently announced it will stop making the G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System on July 1, 2026. The company launched the G7 15 Day CGM System on Dec. 1. 

Sanofi seeks expanded reach for diabetes drug  

PARIS – Sanofi has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review the supplemental biologic license application (sBLA) for Tzield (teplizumab-mzwv) to expand the current age indication from eight years and above to as young as one year old and above to delay the onset of stage 3 Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in patients diagnosed with stage 2 T1D. The company says the sBLA is supported by the positive interim one-year data from the ongoing PETITE-T1D phase 4 study (clinical study identifier: NCT05757713), evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics of Tzield in young children. The target action date for the FDA decision is April 29, 2026. “This priority review emphasizes the urgent need for innovative therapies like Tzield which has the potential to prevent the natural progression of T1D by delaying the loss of endogenous insulin production,” said Christopher Corsico, global head of development at Sanofi. “This might be particularly significant in this young population, as it is well documented that the autoimmune attack that drives this disease in many cases, begins, early in life. If approved, Tzield could represent an important advance for delaying the onset of stage 3 Type 1 diabetes in early childhood, which would benefit patients and caregivers alike.” Interim data for the PETITE-T1D phase 4 study was presented at the 51st Annual Conference of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and simultaneously published in Diabetologia. Priority review is given to regulatory applications seeking approval for therapies that have the potential to provide significant improvements in the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions.