Tag: Home Medical Equipment (HME)

WASHINGTON – AAHomecare is launching a nationwide survey to gather information on the rising costs of products, shipping and labor for those providing home oxygen equipment, CPAP devices and hospital beds.   Insights from the survey will be used on Capitol Hill to build support for continuing Medicare’s 75/25 blended reimbursement rates in non-bid, non-rural areas and to secure a 90/10 blended rate for former CBAs.   “The HME community has been operating under constrained...

WASHINGTON – HME providers might feel like they’ve been “whipsawed” by the current Medicaid disenrollment, but there are tools and processes they can implement to continue business as usual, say industry stakeholders.  As of Aug. 1, 2023, states have disenrolled at least 3.8 million Medicaid recipients based on the most current data from 41 states and the District of Columbia, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).  “There’s a lot of whipsawing...

YARMOUTH, Maine – The promise of artificial intelligence – and the potential risks – are not lost on those in the HME industry, based on the results of a recent HME Newspoll.  Providers like AmeriMed are already leveraging the technology to improve the patient experience for CPAP therapy.  “We’re using AI for our mask fittings now and it has eliminated our refits, saved time and increased compliance and patient satisfaction,” wrote a respondent...

                YAKIMA, Wash. – Staffing shortages have finally “leveled out” at Howard’s Medical Supply, thanks to the provider’s remote – really remote – employees, says CEO Erik Mickelson.  After using an outside staffing company for a few years, Mickelson launched Offsite Team Inc. in the Philippines in 2021 to handle the clerical side of the business for Howard’s.  “We...

YARMOUTH, Maine – HME providers say difficulties hiring – and keeping – employees is hurting business and forcing them to get creative.  Provider George Kucka says it’s like “pulling teeth” to get people to even show up for interviews, let alone show up once they are hired.  “We’re under capacity,” said Kucka, president of Fairmeadows Home Health in Schererville, Ind. “People get prescriptions for PAP, but don’t have...

WASHINGTON – CMS on June 30 issued a home health proposed rule that codifies returning Medicare rates for DME in non-rural/non-CBAs to levels prior to regulatory and legislative relief during the public health emergency.  The CY 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update, expected to be published in the Federal Register on July 10, also contains several other DME related provisions:  Lymphedema compression garments  The proposed rule establishes...

AMARILLO, Texas – BritKare Home Medical has expanded into the “overlooked” hospice market with its recent acquisition of Valmed Home Health & Pharmacy Solutions, says Josh Britten.  “We believe it’s a market that’s been overlooked in recent years,” said Britten, CEO of BritKare. "We think there is definitely a need for better care at the end of life and we would like to be a provider for our community and help these people in any way possible.”  An...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare will host the Washington Legislative Conference on Sept. 20 in a virtual format.   The association is partnering with Advocacy Associates to deliver a seamless virtual meeting platform that will schedule meetings, provide background on each of the legislators and allow HME leaders to connect directly with members of Congress and key legislative staffers.   “We need more HME advocates to answer the call this year to support new legislative initiatives...

LOS ANGELES – Tamara Yvonne Motley, 54, a.k.a. “Tamara Ogembe,” of Redondo Beach, Calif., was found guilty of nearly two dozen felonies for billing Medicare more than $24 million by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment – mostly power wheelchairs and repairs, many of which were never performed. She was found guilty by a federal jury of 20 counts of health care fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy...

WASHINGTON – The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI), a nonprofit consumer education and research organization, has launched a new initiative to advocate for policy solutions to ensure patient safety in the right-to-repair movement. The movement seeks to allow consumers to buy parts directly from manufacturers and repair their own equipment. "Patient safety is non-negotiable," said Steve Pociask, president and CEO of the ACI. "When you think of the 'right to repair'...