WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 7, 2016)—On December 29, 2015, CMS published the final rule to Medicare Program: Prior Authorization Process for Certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies. This comes a year and a half after the proposed rule, which came out on May 28, 2014. Originally CMS proposed that the timeframe for a response to a prior authorization request would be made within 10 days or two days for expedited requests.

WATERLOO, IOWA (January 6, 2016)—Registration for Heartland Conference 2016 has opened and as conference organizers solidify plans for the three-day event, the search for new speakers continues.

“We’re always trying to add fresh new faces and topics,” said Sara Laures, vice president of VGM Education and a 15-year member of the conference planning team. “Our database of over 400 presenters is always evolving based on the industry.”

LAS VEGAS (January 6, 2016)—Panasonic, an industry leader in exceptionally reliable and innovative mobile computers, today announced the 12.5 inch Toughpad FZ-Q1, the latest member of its Toughpad family of enterprise-grade ruggedized tablet devices. With an Intel processor and running Windows 8.1 Pro, this business-grade tablet is designed for the highly mobile field worker, in either government or private sectors, who needs a device more durable than a consumer tablet.