Tag: MedCare

WASHINGTON - The Department of Health and Human Services has authorized licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to persons ages 3 or older, subject to certain requirements. The guidance is issued under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act). A recent study by the National Community Pharmacists Association found that 86% of community pharmacists they plan to offer the COVID-19 vaccines when they become available. “NCPA appreciates steps the...

GREENSBURG, Pa. - MedCare Equipment Co. has plans to move into a new $4.9 million warehouse in Penn Township, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The new 100,000-square-foot warehouse will replace 39,000 square feet of space that the company currently leases on Rico Drive in Monroeville, the newspaper reports. The warehouse, where the company plans to employ 50, is part of the Bushy Run Corporate Park. MedCare broke ground on the new warehouse last week.

LEBANON, Tenn. - Permobil has acquired Auckland, New Zealand-based Durable Medical Equipment, Ltd., the largest complex rehab company in the country, it has announced.The deal allows Permobil to “increase access to care” in New Zealand.“Permobil is dedicated to building a leading healthcare company by providing advanced rehabilitation technology driving growth through education and outcomes, delivered with passion and first-class service,” said Larry Jackson, president of...

INDIANAPOLIS - The Office of Inspector General is not satisfied with National Government Services' progress in preventing overpayments for diabetic test strips.The OIG found that NGS, the DME MAC for Jurisdiction B, made payments to suppliers for dispensed strips when the beneficiaries had not nearly exhausted previously dispensed strips by different suppliers, resulting in overpayments of about $3.2 million in 2013.“NGS stated (in response to a previous review in 2007) that it was in the process...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., has agreed to be an original co-sponsor, along with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D, on a bill that would soften the blow of the nationwide rollout of competitive bidding pricing on Jan. 1, according to AAHomecare.“When the South Dakota providers met with Sen. Thune earlier this year and he agreed to work with Rep. Price, the industry needed a Democratic lead, and Sen. Heitkamp seemed like the logical fit,” said Barb Stockert of Jamestown, N.D.-based Sanford...

GREENSBURG, Pa. - The undulating HME landscape is enough to cause motion sickness in even the best providers. It is already tough to operate in the black without having to deal with consolidation, drastically lower reimbursement rates and auditors constantly rifling through records.If there is a stabilizing force in this tenuous industry, it's adherence to solid business principles, says Patty Mastandrea, COO of Greensburg, Pa.-based MedCare Equipment Company, first place winner of the 2015...

GREENSBURG, Pa. - When provider John Sphon looks at the home medical equipment and respiratory therapy market, he sees a model that requires scale.“A lot of your costs are fixed in the sense of deliveries, billers, trucks—to cover reimbursement cuts, we need to grow the volume to offset that,” said Sphon, CEO of MedCare. “To get the delivery guy out there to deliver one concentrator is not as efficient as delivering five.”In November, MedCare acquired the DME/RT business...

GREENSBURB, Pa. - In light of continued growth, Excela Heath has promoted two members of its leadership team, according to a press release. Sherry Gaston, previously the director of laboratory and imaging services, joins the senior management team as vice president for ambulatory and diagnostic services, while John Sphon, previously chief executive of MedCare, becomes the full-time CEO of that company, of which Excela is the principal stakeholder. Under Sphon's leadership, MedCare expanded into northwest...

WASHINGTON - A bill that seeks better insurance coverage for prosthetic limbs was introduced in the Senate April 16. Co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Olympia Snow, R-Maine, the Prosthetics and Custom Orthotics Parity Act would require insurers to include the devices under major medical coverage. "It's a no-brainer," said Joe Sansone, CEO of TMC Orthopedic in Houston, Texas. "With the limb, you can get back to work and take care of your family. Without one, you are more likely to be...