Tag: Ostomy

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,...

WASHINGTON – A customized approach is needed to ensure the needs of individuals with ostomy are successfully managed, according to a new white paper published by a group of stakeholders to educate payers and state Medicaid programs.  The white paper, developed by AAHomecare, United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc., United Spinal Association, Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society, and Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board, addresses the variables going into...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - CGS has announced two more widespread post-pay, service-specific reviews for ostomy supplies and therapeutic shoes/inserts. For ostomy supplies, the codes affected are A4431, A4434, A5081, A5122. CGS says data analysis showed Jurisdiction C's allowed dollars for these codes were significantly above expected amounts. Additionally, these codes were consistently ranked in the top 20 for CERT errors. For therapeutic shoes/inserts, the codes affected are A5500 and A5512 through A5514....

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ­­- Healogics, a national provider of wound care services, has launched a Patient Engagement Program. Through the program, patients receive message reminders for appointments, as well as links to educational videos, articles and instructions for wound and ostomy care, according to a press release. The program features two-way engagement, allowing Healogics team members to see patient responses in real time and respond quickly to prevent delays in care. During the pilot phase of...

WASHINGTON - A group of senators and representatives from West Virginia has sent a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma saying the agency's May 9 interim final rule “does not go far enough” to ensure continued access to DME for the elderly and disabled in rural areas.The group points out that, while the IFR reinstates 50/50 blended reimbursement rates, it only does so for rural and non-contiguous areas, not all non-competitive bidding areas. “We were hopeful that the IFR would...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has partnered with several patient organizations, including the United Spinal Association, the United Ostomy Associations of America and the Spina Bifida Association, to produce a white paper on why the competitive bidding program should not be expanded to include urologicals and ostomy supplies. Both the president's budget and the Medicare Payment and Advisory Committee have referenced such a possibility. “The danger of expanding the competitive bidding program to ostomy...

MINNEAPOLIS - Coloplast says its integration of Comfort Medical continues to “progress to plan” and its U.S. chronic care business saw double-digit organic sales growth in the third quarter. The company, which has its U.S. headquarters here but is based in Denmark, announced last year that it was buying Coral Springs, Fla.-based Comfort Medical for $160 million in cash, combining a manufacturer of ostomy, urology, continence and wound care supplies with a provider of those supplies. Overall,...

Laura Cox has served as Shield Healthcare's ostomy living expert for 3½ years. She was hired by the company after CEO Jim Snell saw her speak about her ileostomy on an episode of Tosh.0. She talks about her interest in telling her story to educate and break down the stigma around ostomy.  HME News: How does sharing your personal experience help others?Laura Cox: People get an ostomy for all sorts of reasons. Mine was inflammatory bowel disease. When I was doing my own research, there wasn't...

VALENCIA, Calif. - Shield Healthcare recently announced a renewed push to market its ostomy services to Medicare patients nationwide. As part of that effort, Shield has developed an extensive online presence to engage and educate ostomy patients. That presence includes Ostomy Life expert, Laura Cox, who has been living with an ostomy since she was 19 years old.As part of Shield's Ostomy Life marketing campaign, Cox, 24, makes videos, writes blog posts and interacts with other people who are living...

LARGO, Fla. - Securi-T USA has announced an acquisition that will allow the company to expand its portfolio of products beyond ostomy care.Securi-T USA, which has been serving the ostomy community for more than 20 years, has agreed to acquire PECO Medical, a Las Vegas-based designer and developer of continence care products.“For nearly two decades, providers have relied upon us for high-quality, reimbursement-friendly ostomy products, and they have encouraged us to expand into urological items,”...