Tag: Mary Ellen Conway
Skill, not luck, grows U.S. Med's business
November 2, 2020John Andrews
HME providers need to seize control of their future instead of leaving it to chance, says Mary Ellen Conway, chief compliance officer for US Med. “Lower barriers to entry in various HME sectors mean more competition sprouting daily,” she said. “Strategic planning and focus must be intentional to ensure that one's company maintains a sustainable, competitive advantage preventing others from stealing market share.” Growing market share requires a deep understanding of stakeholder...
ICD-10 still lurks in shadows
April 25, 2014Liz Beaulieu, Editor
The implementation date for ICD-10 may have been delayed until at least Oct. 1, 2015, but the transition to the new code set, when it does happen, will still likely muck up the process for HME, industry consultants say.The biggest misconception that providers have about ICD-10, they say: that there will always be an easy, one-to-one transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.“If we think we can just pick a code in the crosswalk, we can't,” said Sarah Hanna, president of ECS Billing & Consulting...
Spring show keeps it simple
February 21, 2014John Andrews
The Medtrade Educational Advisory Board (EAB) is taking the KISS approach to seminars for Medtrade Spring—Keep It Simple, Stupid. To simplify the educational offerings at the show, March 10-12 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, programmers say they have eliminated the pre-show workshops while scaling back sessions and topic diversity to give attendees a concise, focused experience.The main reason for the educational austerity movement is what EAB member Jeff Baird calls “the new reality.”...
Face-to-face rule inches closer
December 20, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
BALTIMORE - CMS plans to start the new year by enforcing part of its face-to-face rule on Jan 1.On Dec. 19, National Heritage Insurance Company, the Jurisdiction A DME MAC, stated in a bulletin that it would enforce the written order prior to delivery (WOPD) requirement for dates of service on or after Jan. 1.“Providers that weren't getting WOPDs need to start getting them,” said Kim Brummett, senior director of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare. “They are saying, 'Do it.'”CMS...
Medicare Advantage plan fastracks contract suppliers
September 27, 2013Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ST. PAUL, Minn. - It may be only one Medicare Advantage plan in one state, but it's still a development that's dropping jaws in the HME industry.Two providers in Minnesota have notified the Midwest Association of Medical Equipment Services (MAMES) that they have received a letter from a Medicare Advantage plan in the state that says it's only doing business with competitive bidding contract suppliers.“We're trying to get them to tell us their rationale,” said Rose Schafhauser, executive...