Up to Standard

BY NEIL B. CAESAR

They're baaaak. CMS has decided to take yet another stab at revising its supplier standards for home medical equipment providers. The agency has proposed...

Facts R Us

Gail Walker gwalker@homecaremag.com

In high school physical science, we were supposed to be learning about energy and engines and how stuff works. The truth is, I spent most of my time in...

Notable &Quotable

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt (shown above with President Bush) was on the firing line last month, hammered by Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee...

Working Down Denialswith Sarah Hanna

This month in our DME MAC comparison, Jurisdiction C barely made it out of the No. 1 spot and has turned over the title to Jurisdiction D for claim denials...

South Pole Slumber

By Erin Greer

If you think getting a good night's sleep at home is hard, try catching 40 winks at the South Pole! It's not such an easy task, says Mayo College of Medicine...

Safety First

By Rebecca Grilliot

If someone walks into an HME, nine times out of 10 they'll need a bathroom safety product if they don't already have one in their home, says Kevin Jones,...

Just for Women Finds Its Own Space

By Susanne Hopkins

Psst! Looking for that Sassybax bra that Oprah touts on her TV show? How about a nursing tank top, jewelry or a baby gift? If you're like most folks,...

Oxygen Products

Respironics/Concentrator EverFlo Q five-liter stationary oxygen concentrator; weighs 31 pounds produces sound level of 40 decibels does not require filter...

Trends

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now the fourth leading cause of death in the USA, accounting for over 120,000 deaths annually and costing...

The Voters Are with Us

By Tyler Wilson

Policy-makers in Washington and experts in health care delivery recognize that home care is one of the most cost-effective forms of care. Yet the federal...

Business Unusual

By Cara C. Bachenheimer, Esq.

While the Administration's proposed FY 2009 budget package on Medicare and oxygen payment were appropriately dismissed on Capitol Hill, that is not an...

The Fierce Urgency of Now

By Wallace Weeks

On the Monday morning following Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the phone rang and the caller identified himself as a provider. We are looking at our options...

The Perfect Job

By Louis Feuer, MA, MSW

News flash: Louis Feuer has decided to look for a job. Well, not just any position. I want a sales representative job like the one I hear about from business...

Collecting Deductibles

By Jane Bunch

Collecting those secondary payments and deductibles? Yes, it is that time again when we are receiving many deductibles being adjusted from our Explanation...

Going, Going, Not Sold?

By Mary Ellen Conway, RN, BSN

Since the passage of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, industry experts have been advising DMEPOS providers to become accredited. But with a recent...

HME PRODUCTS

Wildbleu/Moisture-Eliminating Sleepwear Kiwi Caribbean Pajamas fabric designed to feel like real cotton but dry four times faster so women can sleep through...

Face Forward

30 years ago In yet another scenario that has since become all too familiar, HME companies were anxiously awaiting the results of proposed Medicare policies...

CMS' Wilson: Competitive Bidding Moves Ahead

WASHINGTON As HME advocates gathered in the nation's capital earlier this month to push for a delay of competitive bidding, a CMS official said the agency...

HME Headlines

Check the HomeCare Monday archives at www.homecaremonday.com for these and other industry headlines: OIG Fraud Report Hits Just Days Before Industry Takes...

A Tale of Two Studies

ATLANTA Just as stakeholders prepared to set off for the American Association for Homecare's Washington Legislative Conference March 4-6, they acquired...