MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Dec. 18, 2013)—Numotion, formerly United Seating & Mobility and ATG Rehab, announced its acquisition of the Rehab Division of Southeastern Health Plus, Inc., a provider of orthotics and prosthetics, rehab and durable medical equipment in South Carolina.

SKILLMAN, N.J. (Jan. 2, 2014)—180 Medical, a leader in the home delivery of intermittent catheters and other medical supplies, announced that it has acquired Symbius Medical, a national home medical supply company. "Symbius and 180 Medical share a common focus on providing exceptional customer care in the home delivery of medical supplies," said Todd Brown, CEO of 180 Medical, a ConvaTec subsidiary.

ATLANTA (Dec. 30, 2013)—Another eventful year has come to a close with so many memorable moments. Distilling the biggest stories of 2013 is a function of hindsight, clicks and reader reaction. Sometimes the moments are not moments at all, but instead, new ways of thinking that begin to crystalize within the provider community. For Jackie Bolt, president of Carolina Homecare, Greenville, S.C., the biggest industry-wide happening was a shift in philosophy regarding the retail sector.

Wednesday, Jan. 8 Hoover, Ala. Embassy Suites Hotel Kick off your 2014 at the Annual Meeting of Alabama Duable Medical Equipment Association (ADMEA), featuring an outstanding program, plus elections, state-of-the-association report, including news on the new O&P rules, how to handle orphaned oxygen patients and more. Visit admea.org.

As reported on McKnights.com, about a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries rely on walkers or other assistive devices, according to a new study. Women were more likely than men to use devices.

LENEXA, Kan., (Dec 24, 2013)—Mediware Information Systems, Inc. announced the launch of its informational outreach programs for the home infusion, HME and specialty pharmacy community. Mediware's mission is to help home care providers better understand the ever changing home care arena while also providing business insights and best practices needed to grow their business and the industry.

SUNRISE, Fla. (Dec. 23, 2013)—The past several months have generated some interesting calls to my office from home care providers. While the devastation we are experiencing from competitive bidding reaches its way throughout the industry, many companies have shown a sense of creativity that I see has been missing for so long. Several company owners I have spoken with have never taken Medicare and have read very little about competitive bidding.

CHICAGO, Ill. (Dec. 23, 2013)—The new contracts, which bring the total number of Medicare ACOs to more than 360, come as there is still little known about how the earlier adopters have fared in the program, which was established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The first cohort of organizations in the Shared Savings Program, numbering 27, entered the program in April 2012. The majority of the new ACOs are physician-led and each serve fewer than 10,000 beneficiaries.