January 2008
Column
Welcome to the premiere issue of HME Business, a natural evolution of Home Health Products. It’s 2008, and the HME landscape is a lot different than it was in 1992, when we began publishing a product tabloid. These are changing times for the HME industry, and just as providers and manufacturers are having to redefine their businesses, we are redefining ours to better support your business in this brave new world.
Article
Competitive Bidding, First-Month Purchase Options for PWC & a New Medicare Program are Issues to Watch
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Dec. 14 that it is proposing to change its national coverage determination (NCD) to include payment for CPAP equipment when the sleep apnea diagnosis is based on results from home sleep testing (HST).
By Laurie Watanabe
Kids need to move. Movement is the way they learn, the way they gain strength, the way they explore their environments and grow, physically and intellectually. That’s true for children in wheelchairs, too.
By Laurie Watanabe
Member Service Group Touts e-Solutions, Purchasing Power… & No Fees
From Operations to Accreditation to Cost Control, Get Started Now on 2008 Business Plans
By Steven E. Cole
As part of their efforts to streamline operations for the reduced reimbursement/competitive bid environment, many successful DME suppliers are reducing the number of vendors from which they buy. As part of your action plan for early 2008, you may want to investigate how consolidating the purchasing of a wide assortment of products through a wholesale distributor can help you serve more customers more profitably.
Power Chair Review Results -- TriCenturion, the Jurisdiction A/B DME Program Safeguard Contractor, announced that during the first quarter of its widespread pre-payment review, it denied 89.75 percent of K0823 power chair claims in Jurisdiction A and 88.73 percent of K0823 claims in Jurisdiction B.
When we set out to find the top 10 HME niches to watch in 2008, our goal was to uncover the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth — which means these 10 product categories (listed in random order) were chosen for a variety of reasons: In-home sleep testing; power chairs; oxygen; lighter automotive accessibility; CPAPs; home and environmental accessibility; pulse oximeters; manual wheelchairs; retail/cash sales; and bariatrics.
Member Service Group Touts e-Solutions, Purchasing Power… & No Fees
By Elisha Bury
For years now, diabetes educators have touted the power of glucose monitors to help people with diabetes manage their condition. So, it only makes sense that a similar device for oxygen users should make its way to the forefront.
News
The sleep market is still going strong, and CPAP pricing is currently stable, but reimbursement rates for HME suppliers could be hurt by the upcoming national competitive bidding (NCB) program, say the results of the latest Wachovia HME Sleep & Wound Care Survey. Findings also included expected growth in the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) market.
The HME industry, and the oxygen niche in particular, suffered a tough couple of weeks in the mainstream media, as The New York Times printed what was widely regarded by the industry as a derogatory, politically motivated article on Nov. 30. Then “NBC Nightly News” aired a two-part special report on Medicare fraud on Dec. 10 and 11.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have set the deadline for DME suppliers to be accredited in order to bill Medicare Part B: Sept. 30, 2009. The announcement came at a Special Open Door Forum on Dec. 19.