■ HME Expo: Sam
Giordano of the AARC
keynotes the Home
Respiratory Forum.
See page 30.
■ HME Expo: For a sample of the
dozens of new products that you’ll find
at the inaugural show in Baltimore, check
out a special section on page 30.
HME
NEWS
POLL
■ Have you contacted your U.S.
representative or senator? Do you feel like
they understand the industry’s issues? See
results on page 46.
Volume 15 — Number 4
April 2009
$7.00
T h e
B u s i n e s s
NEWS
n NCB debate heats up. page 4
n “Start over,” says Rep. Shuler of
program. page 4
n AAH continues to beat fraud drum.
page 4
Smart Talk
n This month, our columnists tackle
creating strategic plans, complying
with freedom of choice, adding
new products and networking with
members of Congress. pages 14-15
commentary
Many HME
providers have
complained about the
confusion surrounding
the surety bond ruling,
writes Bill McMahon,
an HME insurance
specialist. But bonds
can be very simple if providers learn
how they work and what’s required to
obtain one. page 12
n
departments
providers
n AHP: $233.6 million in debt. page 17
n Sleep opens doors. page 17
n “Get to or got to?” asks Dr. Schwantz.
page 20
rehab
n Data strengthens case against 9.5%
cut. page 23
n NRRTS mounts offensive. page 23
n Georgia: Medicaid, providers spar over
coding. page 23
RX & specialty Providers
n No need for surety bond, pharmacists
say.
page 27
n Institute grows CPAP chain. page 27
n Breast forms not created equal. page 29
vendors
n Cuts boost market for refurbished
equipment.
page 41
n Powered by lithium. page 41
n VGM builds new home improvement
division.
page 44
www.hmenews.com
N e w s p a p e r
f o r
h o m e
m e d i c a l
E q u i p m e n t
Let the games begin
AAH holds early fly-in to jumpstart oxygen, competitive bidding lobbying efforts
By Liz Beaulieu Editor
The HME industry’s
hardscrabble lobbying efforts over
the years seem to be paying off,
said attendees of AAHomecare’s
Feb. 11 fly-in.
Several of the 200 attendees who
descended on Capitol Hill report that
congressional staff members, for the
most part, were well versed on issues
like the 36-month oxygen cap and
national competitive bidding.
“There’s a recognition of these
Alaskan hits Hill. page 10
n
WASHINGTON –
Air Products
struggles to
offload HME
issues,” said John Shirvinsky, executive director of the Pennsylvania
Association of Medical Equipment
Suppliers (PAMS). “There’s also an
inclination to undo the damage that
has been done. Things are starting
to make sense for them.”
At the fly-in, attendees also discussed with staff members the
impact of the 9.5% reimbursement
C onti nu ed on pag e 1 0
homecare champion Rep.
Mike Ross, D-Ark., speaks at the
Feb. 11 fly-in.
To the rescue
By Liz Beaulieu Editor
Conti nu ed on pag e 2 0
Complex rehab
Separate
but not
equal?
T
‘I thought something would
have happened by now’
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Nearly a year after
going on the market, the bulk of
Air Products Healthcare remains
up for sale.
Industry watchers aren’t surprised.
“With the oxygen cap and national competitive bidding, there are a
lot of land mines out there yet to
be determined,” said Bruce Burns,
president of Affinity Ventures, an
Albuquerque, N.M.-based mergers
and acquisitions firm. “So right now,
it’s too hard to price out any business, let alone one of this size.”
P r o v i d e r s
KYLE AND LAUREN BYRD are
breathing better, thanks to
recent donations from provider
Ron Evans and Respironics.
The 18-month-old twins have
spinal muscular atrophy, a
degenerative disease. See
story page 43.
By Liz Beaulieu Editor
he rehab industry may
have its hands full trying
to convince lawmakers
that they should exempt complex wheelchairs from the 9.5%
Medicare reimbursement cut, but
that’s not stopping it from keeping an eye toward the future.
The rehab industry has begun
exploring the possibility of
divorcing HME, making complex
wheelchairs a separate benefit.
“Every time the HME industry
gets cut, it hurts us the most,”
said Sharon Hildebrandt, executive director of NCART. “We’re
different. We have a very large
service component. We think we
should be treated differently.”
NCART and AAHomecare’s
Rehab and Assistive Technology
Council (RATC) are spearheading the effort, which would
require legislation.
The rehab industry has talked
about separation for years, but
before now, stakeholders have
never taken action. The reason:
Until it succeeded last year in
getting complex wheelchairs
carved out from national competitive bidding, it didn’t feel its
message was resonating with
C o n t in u e d o n pag e 4 5
Patients derail CPAP compliance
By Theresa Flaherty Managing Editor
MIAMI – The Accredited Medical
Equipment Suppliers of America
(AMEPA) wants CMS to delay
its new CPAP requirements after
providers here came across an unexpected obstacle: patients.
The rules, which went into effect
Nov. 1, 2008, require patients to
meet with their physicians between
31 and 90 days after beginning
treatment. This check up is to help
ensure patient compliance, and Feb.
1, 2009, represented day 90 for some
patients.
“We thought, ‘We’ll do our best
to live with the new rules,’ but the
patients aren’t (doing their part),”
said provider Rob Brant, president
of AMEPA. “Now we’re stuck not
getting paid.”
In addition to the delay, AMEPA
C o n t in u e d o n pag e 4 5