Blogs

$2 million here. $10 million there. Another day, another brief detailing the latest allegations and convictions for DME fraud in the federal Medicare program.  “Why,” I recently asked Editor Liz while typing up the latest fraud item from the DOJ, “do people risk their freedom – and their good name – for a measly few million bucks?”  Well! This latest one turns out to be a fraud scheme to the tune of $1 billion for medically unnecessary equipment...

I go back to the beginning with HME News. I was there in the mid-90s, when founder Neil Rouda dressed up like a newsboy to pass out the inaugural issue to everyone at Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas. At the time, I was senior editor with MPS (Medical Product Sales) and after reading the first issue, I was impressed by the depth and scope of the editorial staff’s HME industry knowledge. When I hung out my freelance shingle in January 2000, former HME News Editor Jim Sullivan inquired about my availability...

Back in the day, when Theresa Flaherty and I were working under Jim Sullivan and Mike Moran, they had a saying, “What’s in it for Mario?”  This is something they’d encourage us to keep in the back of our minds as we were reporting on and writing stories. The Mario in question was Mario LaCute, a now retired business exec who used to head up Seely Medical in Ohio. The point being, when news happens, always ask yourself, what’s the impact on the HME provider?  When...

I was talking to Dr. Arti Masturzo, the chief medical officer at CCS, about the company’s latest study, which connects the importance of preserving CGM access through DME channels with addressing physician burnout.  That’s right: There’s so many people being diagnosed with diabetes, many of whom clamoring for a continuous glucose monitor - what she referred to as “the surge” - that physicians report being overwhelmed not only by the sheer volume of patients,...

AAHomecare will hold its first full-scale, in-person lobbying day in six years on May 12-13.  IMHO, the timing couldn’t be better.  The industry’s annual lobbying day shifted to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic and stayed that way for several years. It returned to in-person last year but only on a limited scale.  While stakeholders from AAHomecare, VGM and other groups have worked valiantly to get reimbursement relief passed before and after...

While putting together the March issue, I spent a good amount of time updating stories (and updating them again) to keep up with President Donald Trump’s plans on tariffs.  Even before the inauguration, I started working on a story about the possibility of tariffs on imports from China, Mexico and Canada, and the impact that would have on the HME industry. It seemed like a good bet they would happen, based on Trump’s first term as president and his stump speeches during the election.  That...

DALLAS – The people! The products! The parties! By the time you read this, Medtrade will be in high gear, but as I write this on Valentine’s Day, we are sifting through educational sessions to attend and divvying up the party invites (as a small staff, we divide and conquer). Also, I’m not a party person. Now that I’m a grown adult, I can say that part OUT LOUD.   However, it’s no secret the HME industry likes a good party. Or, as Medtrade show organizers...

It’s a tradition for me to use my editorial in the upcoming January issue to discuss the most read stories in the HME industry for the previous year.  Here is what the list looks like for 2024:  ResMed on mask recall, big tech and demand gen  Oxygen bill introduced in House  Catheter proposal is huge step forward  Owens & Minor to buy Rotech  Philips exit: ‘Nothing fazes us anymore’  Change Healthcare outage has scary impact on HME industry  Providers:...

One of the last things we do with every issue is hammer out a cartoon idea. Sometimes this is fun and easy; other times, it’s a slog that we have to sleep on. This was one of those months where it was the latter. Since we’re working on the January issue and getting ready to put this whole wacky year (in HME, in politics, in life) to bed, I half-seriously suggested a big peace sign, no other messaging. You see, I’m feeling in need of a fresh start and a fresh outlook as...

Artificial intelligence were two words often mentioned at the recent HME News Business Summit. At one point, Dexter Braff, founder and president of The Braff Group, who moderated a panel of investors and bankers, even said: “It’s a rule of this conference that I have to mention AI at least once.” (Insert laughs and eyerolls.) While borderline annoying, AI being a hot topic at the Summit is not surprising. I don’t think you can go to a health care conference today...