Tag: Home Medical Equipment (HME)
Small supplier networks face steep hurdles in next bid round
June 12, 2026Theresa Flaherty
WASHINGTON – There may be strength in numbers, but the logistics of smaller suppliers submitting bids as part of a network in the next round of Medicare’s competitive bidding program (CBP) may be too prohibitive, says health care attorney Jeff Baird.
In the next round of CBP, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement a nationwide Remote Item Delivery (RID) program that effectively shuts out smaller, independent suppliers.
“The goal of CMS that at...
Scavenger hunts & company swag? At HSS, employee training focuses on engagement, confidence building
June 12, 2026Theresa Flaherty
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – As Health System Services has grown, the company’s informal, “ad hoc” approach to employee training needed a more organized structure, said Josh Bach, senior manager of process improvement. The result: HSS Training Camp, the company’s people development initiative.
“We’re at a place where we’re trying to move out of tribal or legacy knowledge and to a more scalable approach that can have resources and answers and build more...
In brief: CPAP’s adherence assumption, CGM’s benefits, Shaq’s sleep apnea
June 12, 2026HME News Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. – Many insurers stop covering continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices if patients don’t use them regularly in the first 90 days. But new research presented at the ATS 2026 International Conference shows that many patients who initially struggle to meet these early-use thresholds do go on to use and benefit from CPAP therapy.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions that poor early use predicts long-term CPAP use, said first author Dennis Hwang, MD, a sleep...
Pediatric HME outgrows product-driven systems
June 10, 2026HME News Staff
The pediatric HME market faces a fundamental mismatch: Children’s needs are developmental, relational and long term, while the systems serving them still operate around products, codes and short-term approvals.
“It’s still one of the toughest parts of this space,” said Catharina Tunberg, executive vice president of product innovation at Permobil. “There’s general agreement that early and appropriate intervention matters, but the funding system does not always...
In brief: WOY named, SBA listening session, CMS Medicaid expenditures
June 10, 2026HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa — Lisa Wells has been named 2026 HME Woman of the Year.
Wells, senior vice president of Med-South, was honored during a special ceremony at the VGM Heartland Conference.
“Lisa represents the very best of our industry,” said Jeremy Stolz, CEO of VGM Group, Inc. “Her commitment to patient care, her influence in advancing policy and best practices, and the way she invests in developing others make her an outstanding leader and a truly deserving recipient...
Lisa Wells named WOY
June 9, 2026HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa — Lisa Wells has been named 2026 HME Woman of the Year.
Wells, senior vice president of Med-South, was honored during a special ceremony at the VGM Heartland Conference.
“Lisa represents the very best of our industry,” said Jeremy Stolz, CEO of VGM Group, Inc. “Her commitment to patient care, her influence in advancing policy and best practices, and the way she invests in developing others make her an outstanding leader and a truly deserving recipient...
New accreditation cycle raises costs, burdens
June 5, 2026Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – Home medical equipment (HME) providers who are preparing for resurvey and reaccreditation say CMS's move to an annual requirement adds significant administrative burden with little perceived benefit.
Providers push back on annual requirement
As part of its final rule on the competitive bidding program, CMS began requiring all providers to undergo annual reaccreditation starting Jan. 1, 2026 – a shift from the previous three-year cycle.
Providers say...
VGM to name 2026 HME Woman of the Year at Heartland Conference
June 4, 2026HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM will name the 2026 HME Woman of the Year at its Heartland Conference in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday, June 9. The finalists for the award are:
Jeaneen Cole, vice president of quality and compliance, DASCO HME
Shawna Carlson, director of rehab services, CareLinc Medical Equipment
Lisa Wells, senior vice president, Med-South, Inc.
Julie Osborn, president and CEO, Alliance Rehab and Medical Equipment
Whitney Baker, director of DME operations and integrations, Viemed
Now...
HME Medical Distribution co-founders recognized
June 4, 2026HME News Staff
RICHMOND, B.C. – HME Medical Distribution co-founders Robert Boscacci and Cameron Fleming have been named finalists for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 Pacific program. HME has grown over the past 14 years from a four-person operation into one of Canada’s largest, independently owned medical equipment distribution and accessibility companies, it says. “As HME has grown, we have always stayed true to our values of innovating products, improving accessibility, and making mobility...
High gas prices squeeze HME providers, but most aren’t adjusting operations – yet
May 29, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Nearly 80% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say high gas prices are having a moderate to significant negative impact on their businesses, putting further pressure on already thin margins.
While prices vary by geography, the national average was $4.42 per gallon at press time, compared to $3.16 a year ago – an increase of nearly 40%, according to AAA.
“Our profit margins were already slim before, so higher fuel costs have further reduced margins, increased...