In brief: Trace Medical acquisition, HealthTap launch, Accendra Health notice
By HME News Staff
Updated 8:14 AM CDT, Tue October 13, 2026
WHITMORE LAKE, Mich. & SARASOTA, Fla. – Trace Medical has acquired a majority interest in LiViliti Health Products, Inc. The acquisition follows LiViliti receiving 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Paptizer 360 classified as a Class II Respiratory Accessory Microbial Reduction Device for CPAP equipment.
The acquisition builds upon the existing strategic investment between the two organizations, aligning Trace Medical’s expansive nationwide distribution network, biomedical servicing infrastructure, and provider reach with LiViliti’s clinical-grade respiratory hygiene technology.
"Partnering with Trace Medical under a majority acquisition provides us with the scale, logistical expertise, and distribution power necessary to make this technology accessible across the continuum of care," said Brian Sharpe, CEO and founder of LiViliti Health Products.
"LiViliti has demonstrated exceptional innovation in patient safety, equipment hygiene, and therapy adherence," stated Greg Apostolou, CEO of Trace Medical. "Together, we are raising the standard of care for CPAP users and healthcare systems nationwide."
HHS invests $27.8M in fall prevention programs
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), has announced the recipients of three falls prevention initiatives totaling up to $27.8 million over three years.
HHS says the funding will expand proven programs, strengthen connections between health care providers and community organizations, and help states and local partners reach more older adults before a fall leads to injury or loss of independence.
“A fall can change an older American’s life in an instant, and we can prevent many of these injuries,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “HHS is connecting healthcare screening with proven community programs to identify risks earlier, improve strength and balance, and help older adults maintain their independence. These investments will reduce injuries and healthcare costs while helping more Americans remain safely in their homes and communities.”
The awards are:
- “A Demonstration to Scale Innovative Person-Centered Approaches to Falls Prevention through Clinical-Community Partnerships,” National Council on Aging, Arlington, Va.
- “Scaling Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs,” eight recipients
- “Helping Communities Sustain What Works,” National Council on Aging, Arlington, Va.
HHS says the awards will expand two complementary approaches:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) initiative helps health care providers screen for, assess, and address fall risk.
- Stepping On, an evidence-based community falls prevention program, helps older adults improve strength and balance and address risks related to medications, vision, footwear, and home safety. Together, the approaches connect screening with action.
Learn more about ACL’s Falls Prevention Program here.
HealthTap launches program to support DME suppliers across sleep therapy journey
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – HealthTap, a nationwide virtual primary care physician practice, has announced a comprehensive clinical offering for sleep and respiratory durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. The program connects patients with primary care physicians on HealthTap to support visits across the PAP supply process, from initial evaluation and therapy orders through compliance, resupply and device replacement. "Sleep DME teams work hard to keep patients on therapy, but too often progress stalls waiting on a prescription, an updated order, or a required clinical re-evaluation," said Geoffrey Rutledge, MD, PhD, HealthTap co-founder and chief medical officer. "HealthTap gives suppliers a fast, integrated way to connect those patients with a licensed physician, who can evaluate them and determine the right next step, so care keeps moving and suppliers get the documentation they need without the usual delays." HealthTap’s new program can be embedded into an existing DME’s systems and workflows, including digital experiences, apps, reminder programs and call centers. With patient consent, relevant medical history, sleep-study information and device data can also be securely shared before the visit to support informed, independent clinical decisions. HealthTap says following the visit, completed chart notes and medically appropriate orders, including orders with physician signatures, can be sent immediately to the supplier through API, HL7/FHIR or SFTP integrations. Documentation can include applicable HCPCS codes and prescribed pressure settings to support payer-specific requirements. It says safeguards are also included to support patient privacy and documentation quality. HealthTap has been successfully working with DME suppliers, including through its previously announced relationship with Aeroflow Health.
Oklahoma chiropractor sentenced in health care fraud scheme
TULSA, Okla. – Dr. Mark Loftis, an Oklahoma business owner and chiropractor, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a years-long scheme that attempted to bilk Medicare, TRICARE and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) out of over $30 million for orthotics braces, continuous glucose monitors, and other durable medical equipment (DME) that beneficiaries did not want or need. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Loftis, 39, of Cushing, Okla., and his co-conspirators did not disclose to Medicare the ownership and management of the DME company Back Pain Home Supplies LLC dba EZ Medical Supply. Loftis and his co-conspirators hid from Medicare that unenrolled entities were billing claims through the DME company. Lofits paid more than one million dollars in illegal kickbacks, including through a shell marketing company, to marketers, purported telemedicine companies, and a call center that persuaded elderly and disabled Americans to disclose their personal information and receive DME they did not need. Loftis and his co-conspirators also purchased sham doctors’ orders for orthotic braces, continuous glucose monitors, and DME that were generated by telemedicine doctors and nurse practitioners who never examined, and often never spoke to, the beneficiaries. Loftis and his co-conspirators submitted over $30 million in false and fraudulent claims and were paid over $8 million. Loftis and his co-conspirators frequently billed for multiple orthotic braces at a time, including in one example eight braces for a single beneficiary. “Yesterday's 14-year sentence shows that health care fraud does not pay,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Department is committed to bringing to justice those who corrupt our health care system by paying illegal kickbacks, submitting false claims, deceiving programs that serve our seniors, service members, and veterans, and treating sensitive patient information like a commodity to be bought and sold.”
MAMES closes out Survivor-themed fall conference
WELCH, Minn. – The 2026 MAMES Fall Conference & Display Hall, themed Survivor: Treasure Island, brought together 180 DME provider attendees and 80 vendor companies, all MAMES Associate Members, in the largest display hall in association history. The theme carried a message: no one has to outwit, outplay or outlast this industry’s challenges alone. “This is truly the best conference I’ve ever attended in my professional career,” said one attendee. “The participants and vendors are incredibly welcoming and generous in sharing their knowledge, expertise, and experiences. The sessions are engaging, educational, and provide valuable insights that I can immediately apply to my work.” Across 10 education sessions, attendees tackled the issues shaping day-to-day operations. Keynote speaker Holly Hoffman, last woman standing on Season 21 of Survivor: Nicaragua, opened with a talk on resilience, and State of the States gave members a look at payer, Medicaid, and legislative developments across the MAMES territory. The conference closed with a hybrid Medicare Panel featuring Jurisdictions B and D, built around hot topics submitted by attendees.
Registration opens for NHIA’s 2027 Annual Conference
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Registration is now open for the National Home Infusion Association’s 2027 Annual Conference (NHIA 2027), to be held March 19-23, 2027, at the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. The conference moves to a Friday-through-Tuesday schedule this year, a change from the Saturday-through-Wednesday pattern of recent years. The NHIA Annual Conference is the premier education and networking event for the home and alternate site infusion industry. NHIA 2027 offers over 30 hours of CE for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and dietitians across more than 100 education topics, as well as the year’s best networking opportunities strategically placed throughout each day. Three keynote sessions offer powerful takeaways related to personal and professional success; a high-level industry outlook; and health care leadership in today’s landscape. New for 2027, NHIA is adding a parenteral nutrition preconference, joining the foundations of home infusion, executive, and sterile compounding preconferences to offer focused education ahead of the general conference. Peer learning is at the center of NHIA’s conference programming. “NHIA continues to elevate and evolve the conference based on industry trends and needs while also maintaining the high-quality education and intimate atmosphere attendees appreciate,” says NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan. “This year we are putting peer learning at the center of the program. We’ve built more ways for attendees to learn from one another, guided by experts, to leave with a foundation and connections they can keep building on all year.”
Learn more about NHIA’s 2027 Annual Conference by visiting conference.nhia.org.
Accendra Health on notice from NYSE
RICHMOND, Va. – Accendra Health, Inc. on Oct. 6, 2026, received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange notifying the company that it is not in compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing standards because the average closing price of the company’s Class A Common Stock was less than $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. The notice does not result in the immediate delisting of the company’s Common Stock from the NYSE, said Accendra in a release posted on its website. Accendra intends to respond to the NYSE within ten business days of receipt of the notice affirming its intent to cure the deficiency. Pursuant to the NYSE’s rules, the company has a six-month period following receipt of the notice to regain compliance with the NYSE’s minimum share price requirement. Accendra intends to consider a number of available alternatives to cure its non-compliance with the applicable price criteria in the NYSE’s continued listing standard.
- Related: Accendra Health began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 2 under the ticker symbol ACH.
CMS to MACs: Provide TPE results, common issues
WASHINGTON – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will require the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to post Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) results on their websites to keep the provider and supplier communities informed of issues and trends. “Each quarter, MACs shall post TPE results with, at a minimum, the three most common reasons per Targeted Probe and Educate prioritized problem on their websites in an effort to keep the supplier community informed of issues and trends,” CMS states. “If more than three denial reasons for a specific topic would be useful to the supplier community, the MACs should include those, as well.” The change, outlined in transmittal 13971, goes into effect Nov. 2, 2026.
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