Blogs

HME stakeholders have been fighting Medicare Advantage for some time, particularly when it comes to these plans not following Medicare policy and coverage for complex rehab technology and non-invasive ventilators, two product categories for patients with the greatest needs.  At the Heartland Conference in June, there was even a panel discussion titled “Dealing with Medicare DISadvantage Plans - Are You Ready, Martha?” Stakeholders continue to take it up a notch.  AAHomecare...

Recently, I talked to a sleep medicine specialist about the possibilities of AI-enabled technology for that patient population; the next I was talking to a diabetes company about the AI-enabled technology for those patients.  I can’t open my inbox without multiple daily pitches on the latest AI technology. It’s all very heady stuff for this writer who, until recently, found my eyes glazing over every time I heard the word algorithm.   But, the more people use it,...

I had a conversation recently with someone who has been in the HME industry for quite some time – as a vendor and as a provider – and he said something to the effect of: The industry needs to give up on reimbursement getting better and lean into technology to make what little reimbursement there is more profitable.  That’s not a hard line I would draw – and, of course, neither would AAHomecare and other industry stakeholders.  In fact, stakeholders headed to Capitol...

There’s an old adage in the news biz: “If it bleeds, it leads.”  While I’ll admit there’s some truth to that, it doesn’t mean reporters enjoy it. Now, granted, we here at HME News are not exactly competing with the big guys out there, but we have our fair share of less than stellar news we have to report on and publish. And it’s not unusual for Editor Liz and I to bat headline ideas back and forth (“does this sound too negative?”) to ensure...

As is par for the course these days, my inbox this month has been filled with diabetes tech announcements: Edgepark is adding a new insulin delivery system to its portfolio, Insulet’s Omnipod is fueling growth and Ascensia is expanding access to its Eversense device by extending its PASS program, which offers a substantial discount for users.  That last one is key: All the technology in the world won’t help if it’s too expensive for people to acquire. And this stuff is expensive...

When Change Healthcare acknowledged that it had been hacked by a “threat actor” named “BlackCat” and subsequently had to disconnect its systems, we were fairly certain it would be the subject of the cartoon and HME Newspoll for the April issue.  There were other ideas, of course – Theresa and I are nothing but a font of content, are we not? – including a poll on the impact on the HME industry of Dexcom’s plans to offer a continuous glucose monitoring...

During the final stages of getting the March issue out the door, Managing Editor Theresa Flaherty and I also had on our to-do list coming up with a guest for the February episode of the HME News in 10 podcast.  Given the recent decision by Philips to exit the home oxygen concentrator and ventilator markets in the United States, we thought it would be important to invite someone who could speak to the continued tumultuousness of the larger respiratory product category in the past few years.  This...

My co-worker Cath, a perennially positive person, recently pointed out that we’ve hit a small but meaningful yearly marker here in Maine: It was still light out at 5 p.m. Only for a hot minute, to be sure, but it’s a hopeful reminder that brighter days are around the corner.  While working the phones, digging through press releases and shaking down manufacturers for product submissions, I, too, noticed that there does seem to be some light shining through.  For starters,...

I didn’t watch the Emmy Awards broadcast, but I did read the coverage the following day and was pleased (and honestly surprised) to see the legendary Carol Burnett on hand to present the award for Leading Actress in a comedy (to Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary if you are keeping track).  I’m pleased to report she’s as quick and funny as ever, befitting a woman many consider a trailblazer in the male-dominated comedy field.  “Progress has been made,”...

It’s that time of year to look at the year that was – in HME News stories.  As we were putting together the finishing touches on this January issue, I pulled the 10 most read stories for 2023.  I was pleased as punch to see a story we published about Miller’s opening its fifth location in Ohio was the No. 1 most read story of the year by a long shot. In a year when the CPAP recall, supply chain challenges and increased costs weighed heavily on the industry, I’m...