Archive: May 2019

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - AirAvant Medical will share research findings on the efficacy and safety of its Bongo Rx at the SLEEP 2019 conference, June 8-12 in San Antonio. “Long-term CPAP compliance continues to range from 30% to 70%, but we believe the Bongo Rx can help level the playing field for those with mild to moderate sleep apnea,” said Ron Richard, co-founder and director. “Not only can this product work for non-compliant patients, it can be a great supplemental option for...

With more and more providers switching their focus from Medicare to cash sales, it's unsurprising that there's occasional confusion about whether an advance beneficiary notice is needed. HME News recently received an email from a small DME supplier that has not billed Medicare in four years and recently learned they still needed to complete ABNs for all Medicare beneficiaries. “We have people come into our business that have Medicare but are choosing to pay out of pocket because...

From solid bets like selling lift chairs to stocking this season's hottest styles, it's all in a day's work for today's HME retailer providers they say. During a panel discussion at Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas in April, four HME providers offered their thoughts on how to build a successful retail model. Give the people what they want While the traditional HME model has long been to assume the customer can't or won't pay for anything when insurance might, changes...

WASHINGTON - Three universities have now earned accreditation with RESNA for their assistive technology and rehab engineering programs: University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Pittsburgh and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. RESNA launched its accreditation program, in conjunction with the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Education Programs, last year. Graduates of these accredited programs are ready for employment and prepared for assuming the role of assistive technology professional...

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - PECO Medical is exiting the urology market, according to a letter to its customers.“After an extensive review of the market and our prospects for future success, we made the difficult decision to exist the urology business effective June 1, 2019,” wrote Greg Bosco, president of Genairex and Peco Medical, in the letter. “We plan to continue to ship urological products and support our customers through the end of May.”Genairex, better known as Securi-T,...

SAN DIEGO - How much has ResMed grown in the past 30 years? Here's one way to look at it: The company reported revenues of $1 million for its first fiscal year in 1990; it reported revenues of $662.2 million for the third quarter alone for fiscal year 2019. ResMed marked its 30th anniversary last week and Robert Douglas, president and COO, spoke with HME News about the company's evolution and the increasing role of data in its success. “We're really only getting started,” he said.HME...

DALLAS - HME provider Medical Xpress stands ready to launch its new CBD division, CBD Xpress, as soon as the ink is dry on a new law.Texas lawmakers recently passed a bill that would legalize hemp and hemp-derived extracts, like CBD oil, and Gov. Greg Abbott is widely expected to sign it into law.“This is the next progressive step,” said Greg McGough, director of retail operations. “We've been working on this for close to a year. There's a lot of bad information out there and a...

WEST BERLIN, N.J. - With its new online store, The Oxygen Concentrator Supplies Shop, Agile Medical aims to repeat the success of The CPAP Shop for oxygen and asthma treatment, says CEO and Founder Tony Zadnik.“We've grown consistently each year (with The CPAP Shop), and even more in the past three to five years,” said Zadnik. “We want provide a convenient, accessible way for customers to get the products they want. We really see oxygen and asthma as an untapped market.”The...

WASHINGTON - The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) has approved the revision and publication of the ANSI/RESNA WC-3 standard after five years of collaboration across wheelchair seating experts. The newly expanded volume includes improvements and clarifications, as well as new test methods for characterizing seating support surfaces. “Unlike most standards and regulations, these standards are created by the people who need them and use them, including clinicians, engineers, academics,...

SAN DIEGO - ResMed has appointed Shubhi Khurana as general manager for India and South Asia to create market development and awareness initiatives to educate the public, medical community and decision-makers about the prevalence of sleep and respiratory diseases in the region, as well as how to diagnose and treat them at home with cloud-connectable non-invasive devices. “Sleep apnea and COPD are global health epidemics and are especially prevalent in Asia,” said Justin Leong, president...