Medtrade 2014

Medtrade's Blueprint for O2 Success

Fortify your respiratory business by attending Medtrade conferences, events and product demonstrations.

• By Joseph Duffy
• Oct 01, 2014

Medtrade Fall takes place October 20 to 23, 2014, in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Labeled the largest tradeshow in the U.S. that is focused exclusively on the HME market, Medtrade is how HME respiratory providers can test out the latest HME products, network and attend conferences that help build business. It’s also a great venue to review where your business sits today in this challenging respiratory environment and solidify plans regarding where you want to go.

“This year has presented several ‘game-changing’ challenges to the respiratory HME industry, such as the full effect of Competitive Bidding, increased documentation requirements, and increased audit activity,” says Mitchell Yoel, executive vice president of business development for Drive Medical Design & Mfg, which will showcase respiratory products at Medtrade. “But with great adversity comes greater opportunity. While many providers have struggled, others are thriving.

“What makes them different?” he asks. “Their ability to embrace and capitalize on change. Instead of looking to solve 42 percent (or more) cuts with small reductions in cost of goods, these providers are identifying new respiratory products and technologies that reduce operational costs, improve patient outcomes, and that have a positive effect on their brand. By transforming their brands from ‘order fillers’ to ‘consultative experts’ they ensure differentiation and referral source loyalty within their markets, while putting to an end the devaluation of our industry by changing the perception many clinicians and payors have that DME products are not tied to patient outcomes.”

Yoel also says that the Affordable Care Act presents opportunities to the respiratory industry with regard to COPD disease management 30-day, all-cause readmission mitigation programs.

“Some providers have used their expertise regarding oxygen delivery algorithms to show that not all oxygen systems are created equally,” he explains. “In fact, there is evidence that some portable oxygen systems, including auto-adjusting oxygen conserving technology, deliver oxygen in a manner that matches dose to patient need far better than others.

“By matching appropriate products to specific patients, providers and Drive Medical in partnership are maximizing saturation and promoting freedom and activity in their COPD populations,” Yoel continues. “Moreover, they have tied an HME technology (oxygen delivery) to a patient outcome (COPD exacerbation and readmission mitigation), opening up new and compelling messaging for new and diverse sales channels.”

Conferences

Here are some conferences and products to put on your agenda for business success while visiting Medtrade this year:

Face-to-Face in the Real World: How to Comply in Its Current Form
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014 - 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Confused about the Face-to-Face (F2F) requirements? CMS-instructed suppliers had to adopt the F2F requirements on July 1 2013, yet so many questions remain about exactly how to comply. Which requirements are being enforced? When can suppliers cure an error? Most importantly, are we all on the same page when it comes to which elements are absolutely necessary to deliver products? Reimbursement consultant Andrea Stark will answer questions surrounding the F2F requirements and bring clarity to frustrated suppliers. She will discuss F2F implementation in Phase 1, what we can expect from the F2F implementation in Phase 2, where we stand on audits and F2F documentation implementation, F2F tools and resources currently available to providers, and product delivery in the context of oxygen.
Presented by Andrea Stark, reimbursement consultant with MiraVista LLC.

Inside the Beltway: What the DME Industry Can Expect from Capitol Hill
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014 - 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Get the latest update from Washington, D.C., on the federal legislative and regulatory issues impacting your business and the consumers you serve. Our industry is faced with a slew of issues from the new “Obama Care” healthcare insurance program to Medicare and state Medicaid issues. We’ll discuss the perennial federal budget issues and what this means for our industry today and tomorrow. We’ll cover our legislative issues in Congress and our regulatory issues with CMS. You’ll learn the latest details on the Medicare DME competitive bidding program, Medicare policies for oxygen, power mobility and other HME items.
Presented by Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare Corp.

Let’s Talk About the Respiratory Audits
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 - 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

In this session, the discussion of audits with various respiratory equipment will be reviewed with emphasis on nebulizers, non-invasive ventilators, PAP and RAD devices, and oxygen equipment. This session will review the various audits in the respiratory world and why they are occurring. Attendees will have the chance to discuss their respiratory audit issues.
Presented by Ronda Buhrmester, reimbursement specialist with VGM Group.

How to Refill Your Own Oxygen, Improve Patient Services, and Reduce Costs
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 - 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
(Approved 1.0 CRCE by AARC)

During this session, attendees will learn how to reduce costs by refilling oxygen cylinders and cryogenic vessels. Regulations, accreditation and documentation requirements are reviewed, along with financial analysis of oxygen transfilling options. Refilling oxygen can improve patient service, reduce costs by 50 percent or more and make providers more competitive in the bidding process.
Presented by Dave Marquard, CEO of Applied Home Healthcare Equipment.

Using New Oxygen Conserving Technologies to Reduce Costs, Enhance Patient Outcomes, and Grow Revenues
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 - 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
(Approved 1.0 CRCE by AARC)

New oxygen conservers leverage technology to enhance the healthrelated quality of life for individuals requiring supplemental portable oxygen. By understanding what technologies you have access to, you can “match the right product to the right patient,” which will optimize patient saturations during rest and activity, maximize tank durations promoting independence while minimizing operational costs, and provide an opportunity to grow your oxygen referral business by transforming your brand from order filler to consultative partner in the healthcare continuum.
Presented by Mitchell Yoel, executive vice president of business development for Drive Medical.

Products

Here is a small sampling of respiratory and sleep offerings that will be on display at Medtrade 2014:

Next-Gen and Current Oxygen Solutions

02 Concepts is keeping hush-hush about a new portable oxygen concentrator offering it is gearing up to unveil at the show, but that won’t stop it from exhibiting its other products. One of the company’s recent offerings is the Oxlife Indepedence, which can be used for both in-home stationary and portable continuous flow. The device offers up to 3LPM continuous six pulse settings, ESA Technology for long battery life, and dual battery bays so patients can swap while the device is running. The device is FAA approved for air travel and comes with a five-year warranty.

02 Concepts LLC
(877) 867-4008
www.o2-concepts.com
Booth No. 835

 

An All-new PAP Product Platform

ResMed’s newly released AirSense 10 line of positive-airway pressure (PAP) devices will act as the cornerstones of ResMed’s Air Solutions connected care platform, which is designed to leverage patient data and communications capabilities to help providers streamline operations while providing patients with comfortable therapy. The line includes the AirSense 10 CPAP; the AirSense 10 Elite, which includes detection of central sleep apneas and Cheyne-Stokes respiration; the AirSense 10 AutoSet, which continually monitors breathing to adapt breath by breath; and the AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her, which is designed for women based upon specific female breathing patterns. Features of AirSense 10 include wireless, connected care; remote device settings changes and troubleshooting; integrated HumidAir heated humidification; AutoRamp sleep detection and pressure adjustment; and a redesigned and streamlined user interface.

ResMed
(800) 424-0737
www.resmed.com
Booth No. 1317

 

Portable and Stationary Oxygen Offerings

Portable and stationary oxygen concentrators maker CAIRE Inc. will be displaying a full line of offerings at Medtrade, including the SeQual eQuinox POC and the CAIRE Companion 5. The eQuinox delivers up to 3 LPM continuous flow and what CAIRE says is the highest pulse dose of any POC. The CAIRE Companion 5 concentrator features ultraSILENT and autoFLOW technologies. Providers can see these concentrators and the rest of SeQual and AirSep lines at the company’s booth.

CAIRE Inc.
(800) 482-2473
www.cairemedical.com
Booth No. 1919

 

SmartDose MiniElectronic Oxygen Conserver

The SmartDose MiniCTOXMN02 is an auto-adjusting electronic conserver that continuously monitors breath rate and adjusts the oxygen dose to match activity at every breath. During activity, the SmartDose will increase the preset rest, setting up by as much as two settings to match the dose to patient need. The SmartDose has equivalent liter flows from 1-5, a minimum battery life of up to one year with two AA batteries, and an operating pressure from 500 PSI to 3000 PSI. The unit weighs less than 16 ounces with batteries and will accommodate a wide range of patient needs.

Drive Medical Design & Mfg
(877) 224-0946
www.drivemedical.com
Booth No. 1617

 

Two-in-One Conserver

The Respond C5 Pneumatic Conserver providers an intuitive, “two-in-one” design that offers continuous flow for patient ease and a 5:1 conservation ratio. The unit is designed to be quiet enough for social settings such as church, movies, or restaurants. Providers can customize the device by having their company name and logo professionally etched to the conserver via Responsive’s Private Logo Program, which puts the provider’s name in front of the referral source at every patient visit. The device is available in low minimums with next-day shipping.

Responsive Respiratory
(866) 333-4030
www.respondo2.com

 

PAP Therapy with an Eye on Outcomes, the Bottom Line

The newest member of 3B Medical’s PAP therapy line-up, the BPAP 25A is full featured Auto Bi-level device, offering various features aimed at helping patients achieve better compliance and the provider improve its bottom line. Recently gaining FDA 510(k) clearance, the BPAP 25A will come standard with advanced features like RESlex Exhalation Relief, a range of pressure support, clinical settings, and will integrate with 3B’s management system, iCodeConnect.

3B Medical Inc.
(863) 226-6285
www.3Bproducts.com
Booth No. 1311

This article originally appeared in the October 2014 Respiratory Management issue of HME Business.