Specialty Providers
Seat at the table: NCPA talks DIR fees, COVID role with Sec. Becerra
July 22, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – B. Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, came away from a recent roundtable discussion with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra feeling “positive.”
“It’s my opinion that the secretary will be receptive to expanding (access) to health care and utilizing pharmacies to do that,” he said.
Hoey spoke with HME News recently about the meeting and where he thinks Becerra may stand on certain...
Option Care partners with AlayaCare on software solutions
July 21, 2021HME News Staff
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., and MONTREAL – Option Care Health and AlayaCare have established a technology collaboration to develop software for alternate site infusion therapy.
This effort builds on an existing relationship, under which Option Care Health, a provider of home and alternate site infusion services, uses AlayaCare’s existing home and community care software to manage its clinical resources at the point of care.
“The patient experience is at the forefront...
BioMatrix acquires InfuCare
July 8, 2021HME News Staff
TYLER, Texas – BioMatrix Specialty Pharmacy has acquired InfuCare, based here, adding a location in a key geographic area.
“We are pleased to welcome the InfuCare team as part of the BioMatrix family,” said Nick Karalis, CEO of BioMatrix. “A Texas pharmacy location is part of our strategic plan to expand our infusion services and increase access to covered lives. With complimentary core competencies and shared values of exceptional patient care, together we will improve...
Philips recall: Vent providers in ‘wait-and-see mode’
July 2, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Three weeks after Philips issued a voluntary recall for certain mechanical ventilators, including its popular Trilogy 100 and 200, providers say they're still waiting for guidance on how to move forward.
“Right now, we’re in wait-and-see mode,” said Chris Burgess, vice president of clinical services for Med Emporium in Charlotte, N.C. “We haven’t been given guidance. We’ll roll out a corrective action, as soon as we get...
NCPA participates in roundtable conversation with HHS Secretary
June 30, 2021HME News Staff
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – B. Douglas Hoey, the CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, participated in a roundtable discussion with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and leaders of several other provider organizations to discuss the expanding role of community pharmacies in health care.
Hoey discussed four priorities for independent pharmacists:
Eliminating retroactive price concessions, known as pharmacy DIR fees, which are imposed on pharmacies by...
NorthShore turns provider to supplier
June 30, 2021Tracy Orzel
GREEN OAKS, Ill. – NorthShore Care Supply took one of the last steps in its years-long transition from provider to supplier when it named Sandra DiVito as vice president of B2B sales and development.
“We’ve really been transitioning from a provider to a supplier over the last five years and the addition of Sandra DiVito and a soon-to-be growing sales team is going to be one of the last pieces of that transition,” said Adam Greenberg, president and founder of NorthShore...
Stakeholders gauge interest in new coalition
June 30, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON – A group of about 40 providers and manufacturers participated in a call in May to discuss whether there’s enough interest to form a Breast Pump Policy Coalition that could tackle a host of issues related to the product category.
“We’re still in the discovery phase,” said Ryan Bullock, COO of Aeroflow and co-chair of the coalition, which AAHomecare is spearheading. “We’ve sent out a follow-up survey to gauge their ongoing interest and...
Online retailer bridges HST, Rx gap
June 30, 2021Tracy Orzel
NEW YORK – Customers of The CPAP Shop can now get a home sleep test and prescription through Sleep Care online’s SimpleRx and Complete Care solutions.
This new capability is the result of a new partnership between The CPAP Shop, an online retailer of sleep equipment, and Sleep Care online, a national telemedicine services provider for self-pay patients with sleep disorders.
“The SimpleRx corrected an issue we’ve seen during our 16 years, which is customers...
Philips recall: Sleep stakeholders run scenarios
June 25, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – As sleep stakeholders band together to address the Philips recall, they're grappling not only with equipment shortages, but also risk assessment and who should be at the front of the line for repairs and replacements.
In announcing the recall, Philips advised Bi-Level and CPAP patients to discontinue using affected devices and work with their physicians or HME providers to determine the most appropriate options for continued treatment.
“It should...
Senators re-introduce bill to improve access to custom breast prosthetics
June 21, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on June 15 re-introduced legislation to ensure that breast cancer patients and survivors who have had a mastectomy are able to access custom breast prosthetics under Medicare.
The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021 would provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses – which, unlike other prosthetic devices, aren’t covered by Medicare – to more than 100,000 women who undergo...