Health Care

NEWNAN, Georgia —ATF Medical, a national provider of complex equipment and adaptive housing programs in the workers’ compensation industry, has launched its “Making Complex Simple” educational series for case managers. Each of the three free courses in Quarter 1 offers a one-hour continuing education credit for Certified Case Managers and State Nursing licenses.
 

OWINGS MILLS, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA) Final Rule, which outlines coverage for compression garments and related accessories through Medicare Part B, went into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department sent to the Federal Register for publication a notice of proposed rulemaking under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that aims to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities. MDE includes equipment like medical examination tables, weight scales, dental chairs, x-ray machines and mammography equipment. 

CHICAGO—WellBe Senior Medical, an in-home value-based care provider to the Medicare Advantage population, announced an investment from CVS Health Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of CVS Health. This partnership and investment will help to accelerate WellBe's national expansion. Currently, WellBe operates in seven states and has more than 107,000 Medicare Advantage members and over $2 billion in premium under management.

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina—Aeroflow Healthcare, a health care company that leverages technology to support the delivery of medical products and services, announced it has rebranded to Aeroflow Health. As a personalized health partner, the company said the rebrand emphasizes its aim to provide patients with easy access to integrated health solutions covered by their insurance.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (NZX:FPH, ASX:FPH) announced its results for the first half of the 2024 financial year.  
 

KENTUCKY—A class action lawsuit filed in Kentucky on Tuesday, Dec. 12 alleged that Humana illegally used artificial intelligence (AI) to deny patients care owed to them under their Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans.

OAKLAND, California—Blue Shield of California members now have virtual access to Ornish Lifestyle Medicine, an intensive cardiac rehab program designed to help prevent, treat and even reverse heart disease through lifestyle change.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in California and across the nation, and the expansion of this program aims to help more Californians improve their cardiac health by providing a virtual access option to a successful in-person program.

DENVER—InnovAge Holding Corp. (InnovAge) (Nasdaq: INNV), a provider of health care programs to predominantly dual-eligible seniors through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), completed its acquisition of two PACE programs in California from ConcertoCare.

BOSTON—A Virginia-based nurse practitioner pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with a $7.8 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces. 

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina—RedSail Technologies, a provider of pharmacy management systems and services, announced PioneerRx, QS/1 and PowerLine have earned certified status by HITRUST for information security.  

BOSTON—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ("Blue Cross") announced that it will remove prior authorization requirements for homecare services for commercial members beginning Jan. 1, 2024. This means hospitalized members will not be required to get advance approval before being discharged to continue treatment at home.

Homecare services include:

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—WellSky, a health and community care technology company, announced it has acquired Corridor, an end-to-end tech-enabled services platform designed for the post-acute care industry’s challenges, from HealthEdge Investment Partners, a health care-focused private equity firm.

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina—LSPedia, a traceability solution provider, and RedSail Technologies, a pharmacy software and services provider, announced their partnership aimed at giving dispensers a holistic solution for pharmacy management and Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) compliance.

NEW YORK—DocGo Inc.

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina—RedSail Technologies announced an enhanced user experience for customers of its product, DocuTrack, thanks to a partnership with Mediprocity. The new DocuTrack interface offers Mediprocity features that Redsail said provide instant, HIPAA-secure collaboration among various health care professionals—including pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, nurse teams prescribers and determination of needs (DONs).

The Cigna Group, headquartered in Connecticut, has agreed to pay $172,294,350 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting and failing to withdraw inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes for its Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in order to increase its payments from Medicare.

NORTHFIELD, Illinois—Medline celebrated its now fully operational 710,000-square-foot distribution center in Salt Lake City, Utah. To commemorate the milestone, local dignitaries, Cairo Wasfy, chief resource officer of Ardent Health Services, representatives from Medline and other major hospitals and health care providers in the region participated in an event, including a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tours.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee—National Seating & Mobility (NSM), a provider of comprehensive mobility solutions, continues to expand the company’s Momentum Academy education series with more events hosted this year across the country to educate clinical partners, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and other health care providers about best practices in mobility solutions and complex rehab technology (CRT).

REXBURG, Idaho—Home Care Pulse (HCP), a provider of mission-critical solutions that support engagement and improve care for long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) organizations, announced the appointment of two leaders to its executive team.

OMAHA, Nebraska—As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's continues to rise—now exceeding 6 million—the caregivers supporting these older adults find themselves confronted with challenges such as managing high-stress levels, dealing with sleep deprivation and struggling to find time for self-care. Unfortunately for caregivers, these factors are known to contribute to the development of the disease, putting them at greater risk.