NEW YORK (June 18, 2018)—The Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation have selected John R. Burton, MD, as the recipient of the inaugural 2018 John A. Hartford Foundation Trustees Award for his decades of dedication to improving the care of older adults through his role as a geriatrics educator, researcher and clinician. 

HARTFORD, Conn. (June 18, 2018)—Aetna released the results of its inaugural Health Ambitions Study, which explores consumers’ health goals and the relationship between consumers and providers in the evolving health care system. The study finds that people, particularly women, are paying attention to their holistic health, as they seek resources that better support both health and wellbeing.

WATERLOO, Iowa (June 18, 2018)—The nomination period for the 2018 HME Woman of the Year is officially open.

Now in its third year, the award, sponsored by VGM, recognizes one woman in the industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community and the home medical equipment industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 17, 2018)—On June 15, 2018, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual report to Congress.

MedPAC is recommending that more products be included in the Medicare competitive bid program. There are three categories of products MedPAC believes should be included:

(1) Items that Congress has already authorized to be included (e.g., chest wall oscillation devices, ventilators and off-the shelf orthotics)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 15, 2018)—In an announcement shared in the CMS Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Center on June 12, and on Director Seema Verma’s Twitter, CMS is modifying its coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) supported by smartphone apps.

ATLANTA (June 15, 2018)—Brightree, a provider of cloud-based software helping post-acute care companies improve business performance and patient outcomes, announced the release of a new solution that allows home medical equipment (HME) providers to digitally receive orders from more than 62,000 providers using athenaClinicals within the athenahealth network, the same way doctors have long referred patients to other specialists.

TAVARES, FLA. (June 14, 2018)—Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care has received an Excellence in Program Innovation Award—Clinical Practice from the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) for its Nurse Onboarding Program. It is one of six hospice agencies across Florida to receive Awards of Excellence at the recent FHPCA 2016 Forum.