Utility Breaks for HME Users May Spread
- Greg Thompson
FORT COLLINS, CO - Seventy miles north of Denver, disabled residents who use electrical power for home medical equipment will soon get a financial break. more »

Medtrade Spotlight: Golden Technologies Features Retail Products Made in America
ATLANTA - Medtrade has been a staple of Golden’s marketing strategy since 1985, a commitment they plan to continue when Medtrade heads to Atlanta from October 16-18. more »

HHS Touts Greater Flexibility for Care at Home Under ACA
WASHINGTON, DC - HHS finalized its Community First Choice rule, a new state plan option under Medicaid designed to encourage home-based care. more »

HME Consolidation Hits Seven-Year High
PITTSBURGH - The first quarter of 2012 yielded 25 HME acquisitions, the largest deal volume since 2005. more »

Anti-Kickback Statute Nabs Texas Provider
McALLEN, TX - The owner of a Texas medical supply and diagnostic testing company pleaded guilty last week to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute. more »

Fraud Moving to Mental Health

WASHINGTON, DC - HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson told the Senate Finance Committee last week that efforts to push fraud out of the DME sector have been successful. more »

Is a New Physician Order Required After an Asset Purchase?
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
AMARILLO, TX - To avoid any exposure to risk, prudence would require the acquiring company to obtain new physician orders more »

Agape Clients Hold Out Hope
HACKENSACK, NJ - Regardless of who is to blame, Mike Kernes, general manager of Reliable Medical Inc, hopes CMS will see fit to allow a rebid. more »

VGM Signs Agreement with Sperduti
WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM Education, a division of VGM Group Inc, has signed an exclusive partnership agreement to offer Michael Sperduti’s Seven Step Sales Process. more »

ABC News Spotlights Pharmacy Crime
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The NCPA commended ABC World News for highlighting pharmacy crime in its April segment entitled “Pharmacy Robberies Increase.” more »

Industry Converges this Week at Medtrade Spring
LAS VEGAS — Medtrade is one place where education, commerce, and a fighting spirit can provide the spark of inspiration in challenging times. more »

Bidding Woes Spark Questions
- Greg Thompson
HACKENSACK, NJ - When Mike Kernes logged into DbidS 40 minutes before the close of bidding on March 30, he saw row after row of “incomplete” entries. more »

NACDS, NCPA File Lawsuit
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The NACDS, NCPA, and nine retail pharmacy companies filed a lawsuit last week to prevent the proposed merger of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) companies Express Scripts Inc and Medco Health Solutions Inc. more »

Supreme Court Decision Will Affect HME
- Greg Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC - The fate of the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act carries considerable consequences for the home care world. more »

ACA Anniversary Brings Cheers, Jeers
WASHINGTON, DC – The 2-year anniversary (March 23) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought press releases flying from all sides of the political spectrum. more »

Medtrade Spring: Pre-Show Seminars Offer Extra Value
LAS VEGAS - Early birds arriving on Monday, April 9, may wish to attend one of seven separate pre-show seminars set for Tuesday, April 10, from 8:00 a.m. - noon. more »

ACA Hits Two-Year Anniversary
WASHINGTON, DC - A public relations blitz from the federal government is accompanying the 2-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, officially signed into law on March 23, 2010. more »

Medtrade Spring: Retail Opportunities and New Ideas
LAS VEGAS - With less than two weeks remaining to get in round two bids, providers are looking for non Medicare avenues to boost revenue. more »

Consumers: You Get What You Pay For
Washington, DC – When it comes to health care quality, consumers equated higher cost with better care in a recently completed survey from the AHRQ. more »

NCPA: “Deceptive Ad Marks New Low”
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The NCPA criticized a new advertising campaign launched last week by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA). more »

Sebelius Touts Affordable Care Act Provisions
WASHINGTON, DC - New round of Affordable Insurance Exchange Establishment Grants from HHS. more »

CMS Declares Health Outcomes “Stable” in Comp Bidding Areas
WASHINGTON, DC - In the middle of last week’s AAHomecare Conference, CMS released a “broad-view analysis” assessing the impact of DMEPOS competitive bidding. more »

Community Pharmacy Options for Military Personnel in Jeopardy
Advocates called on Congress to reject budget proposals that would limit pharmacy choice for TRICARE (military health plan) beneficiaries. more »

CMS Spotlights Infection Rates at American Hospitals
WASHINGTON, DC - The issue of hospital-born infections has long been a concern among home care advocates, with Mal Mixon, chairman of Invacare, bringing up the point in a Feb 10 letter to the Wall Street Journal. more »

Win, Lose, or Sell?
- Greg Thompson
PITTSBURGH - Officials at QualiCare Home Medical won competitive bidding contracts for oxygen, CPAP, hospital beds, and walkers. Despite those victories, owners found little reason to celebrate. more »

Senator Questions Prescription Drug Mega Merger
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The head of the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee voiced major concerns last week over the proposed mega-merger of prescription drug middlemen Express Scripts and Medco. more »

Are Hospitals Required to Give Patient Choice?
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
AMARILLO, TX - Is the hospital required to give patient choice? The short answer is “yes.” more »

State of the Union: Jobs and More Jobs
WASHINGTON, DC - President Obama said the word “jobs” 33 times during last week’s State of the Union Address, a testament to the importance of the economy during an election year. more »

Pharmacy: Lawmakers Send Letter to Acting CMS Administrator
ALEXANDRIA, VA - Twenty-five lawmakers sent a letter last week to the acting CMS administrator expressing concerns over proposed federal upper limits for Medicaid generic drug reimbursement. more »

Fraud Indictments Hit DME Companies in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, PR - The indictment alleges that a DME company called Monte Mar submitted at least 1,518 false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. more »

Pharmacists Share Patient Access Concerns with CMS
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The NCPA is calling on Medicare officials to authorize a Special Enrollment Period to allow patients to enroll in a new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. more »

Employee vs Independent Contractor: Under the Law, There is a Huge Difference
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
In short, “real world rules” do not apply to HME providers. A prime example of this is how the law looks at W2 employees vs 1099 independent contractors. more »

CMS Touts Low Growth Rate for Health Care Spending
WASHINGTON, DC - According to CMS analysts, national health expenditures in 2009 and 2010 hit a historically low rate of increase. more »

CVS Caremark Pharmacy Reaches $5 Million Settlement with FTC
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The FTC announced last week that CVS Caremark agreed to pay $5 million to settle allegations that the company overcharged seniors and taxpayers. more »

Legal Restrictions When Switching Employers
- Todd A. Moody, JD
AMARILLO, TX - Moving from one employer to another is relatively easy in the real world, but it is fraught with pitfalls in the health care industry. more »

Medtrade Spring 2012: Registration is Open
LAS VEGAS - Registration for Medtrade Spring 2012 is in full swing, and the special holiday conference rate has been extended to Jan 13. With changes coming down the pike, Medtrade Spring is a great way to gain valuable knowledge that is vital to your business. more »

Invacare Corp Bolsters Quality Assurance with New Senior VP
ELYRIA, Ohio - Doug Uelmen joins the Ohio-based giant as a veteran of more than 30 years in quality and regulatory roles. more »

DME Owner Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
HOUSTON - A DME provider has been sentenced to 145 months in federal prison for defrauding the Texas Medicaid program. more »

Anti-Trust Guidance Issued by CMS
WASHINGTON, DC - CMS took the opportunity last week to remind suppliers to set bid prices independently. more »

Obama Highlights Home Health Workers
WASHINGTON, DC - A mid December White House blog and speech from President Obama cast a bright light on “home health” workers. more »

NCPA Predicts Turmoil for Rural Pharmacies
ALEXANDRIA, VA - NCPA officials anticipate trouble if proposed CMS changes go through. more »

Smart Phones Cross Into Diabetes Equipment Territory
WORCESTER, MA – Diabetes equipment providers take note: a team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received a $1.2 million award from the NSF to develop a smart phone application for people with advanced diabetes. more »

Media Watch: Advocates Decry “Peter Pan” Homes
NEW YORK, NY - Media coverage on the benefits of home care took an uptick last week with features in the New York Times and the Associated Press. more »

Today is Our Day
- Shelly Prial
Many of the problems facing our industry can be resolved if we, as a team, gather our forces into one powerful voice. more »

Tavenner Nomination Gains Some GOP Support
WASHINGTON, DC - 
In the wake of the CMS Administrator’s resignation 2 weeks ago, successor Marilyn Tavenner is gaining some momentum. more »

Medtrade Spring: Registration Opens in Seven Days
LAS VEGAS - Registration for Medtrade Spring 2012 begins on December 12. Those who take initiative before 2011 is over can take advantage of a $79 special holiday rate. more »

Feds Still on the Lookout for Kickbacks and Inducements
- Jeffrey S. Baird, JD
AMARILLO, TX - HME companies must deal with myriad anti-fraud statutes that restrict what they can do with existing and prospective customers. more »

CMS Administrator Resigns
WASHINGTON, DC - In an expected move, Donald M. Berwick, MD, resigned his post as CMS administrator last week. more »

Census Bureau: We’re Not Getting Any Younger
WASHINGTON, DC - In 1980, there were 720,000 people aged 90 and older in the United States. In 2010, there were 1.9 million people 90 and older. more »

Medtrade Spring Offers Solutions as Legislative Threats Loom
LAS VEGAS - Nielsen Expositions’ Medtrade Spring 2012 is a great way to gain valuable knowledge that is vital to your business. Medtrade Spring will take place April 10 – 12 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. more »