Tag: NCPA
NCPA doubles down on UnitedHealth, Change deal
February 7, 2022HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association reiterated its call to the Federal Trade Commission to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare in a recent letter. UHG owns United Healthcare, a major health insurer, and Optum, a pharmacy benefit manager and mail order pharmacy. NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey has warned the merger would create a massively unfair advantage in the marketplace for a company that is already dominant and would threaten fair competition,...
In brief: Philips update, Essity expansion, Kubat recognition
December 30, 2021HME News Staff
AMSTERDAM – Philips Respironics has determined that exposure to the level of VOCs identified to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices is not typically anticipated to result in long-term health consequences for patients.
The announcement comes after an assessment by an outside medical panel and Philips and is intended to give healthcare providers the most recent data. Overall guidance for physicians and patients in the recall notification remains unchanged.
At...
In brief: Woman of the Year, new Inogen CFO, Bleep funding
December 17, 2021HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa – Katie Stevens, CEO of Reliable Medical Supply, was named the 2021 HME Woman of the Year during a virtual presentation hosted by VGM on Thursday.
“There is no better recognition,” said Stevens, who became CEO of the Minneapolis-based company in 2020 following a long career with a national complex rehab provider.
HME News featured Stevens and Reliable Medical Supply in this story in September.
This year’s award drew 64 nominations...
In brief: PAYGO cuts, fee schedule update, FDA warning letter
December 3, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare is calling on stakeholders to contact their members of Congress to ask them to prevent broadly applied “deep” Medicare cuts for 2022.
The potential cuts stem from the application of pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) legislation that was enacted in 2010.
“If not addressed, PAYGO provisions would trigger automatic cuts across a range of federal programs to cover recent deficit spending increases – in this case, red ink incurred via the $1.9...
In brief: Increasing costs, Netflix fame, Verma appointment
September 24, 2021HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM & Associates has sent a letter asking CMS, at minimum, to pay all HME providers in non-rural areas, including those in the 130 competitive bidding areas, the 75/25 blended reimbursement rates to help them offset increasing costs.
“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, acquisition costs for many products have been rising steadily in the form of incremental price increases,” writes Clint Geffert, president of VGM & Associates in the Sept. 8 letter....
In brief: Heartland wraps up, Medtrade East masks up
September 17, 2021HME News Staff
WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM welcomed nearly 1,000 guests for its 20th annual Heartland Conference last week.
The conference, which is usually held in June, was moved to September to help ensure health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers took precautions like moving all social events outdoors and requiring masks indoors.
“As leaders in the health care industry, we wanted to do everything we could, taking all proper precautions, to help keep everyone safe during...
In brief: Bid surety requirement, ostomy white paper, Inc. 5000
August 20, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Medicare’s bid surety bond requirement did not have a negative impact on small supplier participation in Round 2021 of the competitive bidding, says the Government Accountability Office in a new report.
For the report, “Effect of New Bid Surety Bond Requirement on Small Supplier Participation in the Competitive Bidding Program,” the GAO reviewed CMS’ data on supplier bids and contracts, and interviewed two DME trade organizations, including AAHomecare,...
NCPA announces sophomore class for DPP program
August 17, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists, in collaboration with the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists and OmniSYS, has announced that 30 neighborhood pharmacies have been selected to receive training and financial support to become Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program providers. The National DPP, launched in 2020, is a nationwide effort that created partnerships between public and private organizations...
In brief: Bacteria filters, buying preferences, home infusion bill
August 13, 2021HME News Staff
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Philips does not recommend using bacteria filters with CPAP/BiLevel devices as a means of mitigating chemical emission or particulate matter, it says in a new document related to a recent recall.
“Due to an influx of questions, additional information is being provided about the use of bacteria filters with CPAP/BiLevel devices,” the company states. “According to FDA regulation 868.5260, bacteria filters are medical devices that are intended to remove...
NCPA develops policy department
August 10, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association has developed a new Department of Policy and Pharmacy Affairs, distinguishing the role of regulatory and pharmacy affairs within the association. The department will help bolster NCPA’s strategic affairs, advocacy and media relations efforts. It will conduct research, legislative review and drafting; prepare regulatory comments, issues briefs, testimony and correspondence; promote pharmacy health information technology and...