Letter from the Editor

Déjà Vu All Over Again

• By Janis Rizzuto
• Apr 01, 2010

Who doesn’t love that Yogi Berra quote? I had that feeling in spades this month as I took over the editor post for Respiratory & Sleep Management. It’s been just about 12 years since I last wrote an editor’s note in a magazine for home medical equipment providers. Back in 1998, I was the editor in chief of HomeCare. I re-read my final editor’s page in preparation to write this one and what struck me was how similar then and now appear to be. More than a decade ago, the industry was facing reimbursement cuts, grappling with allegations of widespread fraud and generally feeling like Congress’ favorite kickball. Today, the industry is dealing with the fallout from cuts and the oxygen cap, facing audits stemming from the continued perception of fraud, and trying to gain traction with members of Congress to pass more favorable HME and oxygen legislation.

On the surface, it would seem that little has changed, but I quickly learned that was not true. As I dug into the research for the cover story on CPAP compliance and poured over the details of the Oxygen Concentrator Comparison, it’s clear providers and manufacturers have made signifi cant advances in the past decade—advances about which they can be proud.

Sleep therapy providers have developed better ways to work with patients to ensure they get the benefits of treatment. And sleep equipment is more sophisticated than ever, with wireless compliance monitoring, more natural air pressure, advanced humidifi cation options and less obtrusive masks. Patients themselves are more empowered now, too, given broader recognition of sleep disorders and ample online resources. Back in my day at HomeCare, we used to have to spell out the acronym “CPAP” because not everyone knew it. The Oxygen Concentrator Comparison is a compilation of manufacturerselected stationary and portable equipment. Years ago, oxygen conserving devices were the hot item, but now portable oxygen concentrators are changing the game. The benefits for patients and providers are obvious, and it will be interesting to see how high-tech devices and rock-bottom reimbursement combine in the challenging oxygen market.

It wouldn’t be fair to assess the industry’s progress if I didn’t let you in on my own. From a personal standpoint, the 12 years have passed quickly in the great company of my husband of 10 years and my daughters, ages 7 and 8. From a professional standpoint, the time was consumed by magazine deadlines met, hundreds of articles written, and thousands of pages edited for different fields ranging from financial services and retailing to project management and higher education. My return to the home care field extends my specialty in health care journalism. Most recently, I ran an association magazine for Southern California physicians. Whether you knew me before as Janis Samaripa or not, I hope you’ll catch me up on your respiratory and sleep business. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about creating strong publications, it’s that I can’t do it without you, the reader.

This article originally appeared in the Respiratory & Sleep Management April 2010 issue of HME Business.