Seat cushion widths start at 8 inches; back widths start at 10 inches

STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin—Ki Mobility’s Axiom line of wheelchair seat cushions and backs are now available in pediatric sizes. The new series, Axiom for Kids, takes into account the unique positioning needs of growing children who use wheelchairs, the manufacturer said in a March 11 announcement.

Genworth releases cost of care survey results for 2023: 20 years of tracking long-term care costs

RICHMOND, Virginia—The cost of long-term care services increased across all provider types and increased more substantially for certain settings, according to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey 2023. The most substantial cost increases occurred in home health aide and homemaker services costs. Inflation and the shortage of skilled care workers are the core drivers of increases in the costs of care services.

It was alleged the home health agency violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid for reimbursement

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina—Family First Home Health Care, Inc. (Family First), a home health care agency located in Gastonia, North Carolina, (now d/b/a Gaston Piedmont Health Care Inc.), and its owner Marion James have agreed to collectively pay $600,000 to resolve allegations that they knowingly violated the Federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts from Jan. 1, 2015, through Jan. 9, 2020, by submitting thousands of fraudulent claims to Medicaid for reimbursement, announced Dena J.

The pair conspired to commit Medicare fraud by billing for medically unnecessary DME such as knee, ankle, shoulder, wrist and back braces

SAN DIEGO—Anthony Duane Bell Sr. and his son, Anthony Duane Bell Jr., were sentenced in federal court to 65 months and 12 months and one day, respectively, for their roles in fraudulently receiving more than $21 million in Medicare payments and lying to cover it up.  

NCART will change when it distributes its newsletter as well as plans to improve communication

On Friday, March 8 the National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART) announced it will launch a new newsletter theme along with additional news on how it plans to improve communication. The newsletter will move from the end to the beginning of the month. It will also send out a bi-weekly update, scheduled to begin Wednesday, March 20. 

NCART also said it added a new marketing resource, Barry Steelman. 

Bill would create a new, nationwide grant program to incentivize and support states’ efforts to create strategic plans for aging

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Committee on Aging, and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), chair of the Senate Committee on Aging, introduced the Strategic Plan for Aging Act, a landmark bill that would create a new, nationwide grant program under the Older Americans Act (OAA) to incentivize and support states’ efforts to create their own strategic plans for aging.