HME News is the monthly business newspaper for home medical equipment providers. This controlled circulation publication reaches 17,100 home medical equipment services providers, including traditional HME dealers & suppliers, hospital- and pharmacy-o
Issue link: https://hme.epubxp.com/i/419685
VOLUME 20 — NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 2014 $7.00 HME NEWS POLL ■ Despite doom and gloom, the HME industry is quite resilient, says Todd Blockinger, of The MED Group. See page 9. N E W S ■ CMS issues fi nal rule. PAGE 3 ■ AAHomecare launches app. PAGE 3 ■ NewsPoll: Providers on the elections. PAGE 3 S M A RT TA L K ■ This month, our columnists tackle lobbying, sales strategy, patient compliance and marketing dollars. PAGES 10-11 C O M M E N TA RY ■ Want to fl ourish in retail? Understand your consumers and build a showroom environment that ties into their instincts, says Andrew Pyrih, of Pride Mobility. PAGE 9 ■ Product Focus: This month's product focus features bath safety items like the EZ-Bathe Body Washing Basin from EZ-Access. See pages 20-21. ■ Providers are seeing an increase in benefi ciaries with access issues due to competitive bidding. See results on page 27. D E PA RT M E N T S PROVIDERS ■ Internet supplier adds pediatrics. PAGE 12 ■ HME key to reducing readmissions. PAGE 12 ■ Reporter's notebook: Ebola. PAGE 12 MOBILITY ■ AeroFlow turns to TV. PAGE 15 ■ Q&A;: Mike Osborn. PAGE 15 ■ NSM launches app. PAGE 15 RX & SPECIALTY PROVIDERS ■ Excellence: Active Healthcare. PAGE 18 ■ Reporter's notebook: Death of a diabetes provider. PAGE 18 ■ Supermarket for snoring. PAGE 18 VENDORS ■ ResMed sees strong start. PAGE 22 ■ Satisfaction data: How essential is it? PAGE 22 ■ Broda open for business in US. PAGE 24 BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – A bankruptcy judge has approved a stalking horse bid for the assets of Lib- erty Medical. Liberty, which fi led for Chap- ter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2013, has proposed a sale of the majority of its assets in a stalking horse auction with a minimum bid of $46.5 mil- lion—$13 million in cash and $33.5 million in assumed liabili- ties—according to court docu- ments. If there are competing bids, an auction would take BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor ORLANDO – News of a merger between AeroCare and Merge- WorthRx put a spring into the step of HME industry analysts. "This a positive sign for the industry," said Rick Glass, presi- dent of Steven Richards & Asso- ciates. In the Oct. 15 announce- ment, AeroCare, which has been backed by private equity fi rm Ferrer Freeman & Compa- BY TRACY ORZEL, Associate Editor COLUMBUS, Ohio – Provider Jeff Franklin loves to talk shop and recently found a home on 98.9 The Answer's "All Things Health" to do just that. After giving an interview on 98.9's sister station in March, Franklin, owner of three 101 Mobility stores in Ohio and Southeast Michigan, was offered his own platform on the fi rst Sunday of every month to educate the public on trends within the aging-in- place movement. BY KELLY BOTHUM, Contributing Writer ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare's efforts to restore profi tabil- ity through restructuring and debt management are ongoing, but the company ended the third quarter of 2014 with a loss. The consolidated adjusted loss per share was $.56 for the quarter, which also included a $.27 incre- mental warranty expense and $.06 for an executive retirement. By comparison, the company had a $.23 loss in the third quarter of 2013. "Without those two changes, the adjusted net loss Liberty Medical positions for sale place Nov. 7. "This is an ideal situation for a debtor," said bankruptcy attorney Joe Marshall, a partner in the Restructuring Group at Munsch Hardt in Dallas. "They have a locked-in sale and can shop it and see if they get higher bids. If nobody else shows up, you've got a sale in hand." If there are no other bidders, the judge will likely approve the sale, in a hearing on Nov. 13. Any sale would not include its mail-order pharmacy busi- ness, LMSP Pharmacy, which it intends to sell separately. In its court motion, Liberty states that it hired Raymond AeroCare merger casts ÔpositiveÕ light ny since its inception in 2002, and MergeWorthRx, a special purpose acquisition company with a healthcare focus, said they have agreed to an all-stock merger. MergeWorthRx will issue approximately 11.3 mil- lion new shares and .5 million options to existing AeroCare 'Lots of work to do' On air with provider Jeff Franklin INVACARE EARNINGS A minimum bid of $46.5 million is set L I B E R T Y S E E PA G E 2 5 A E R O C A R E S E E PA G E 2 5 I N VA C A R E S E E PA G E 2 5 R A D I O S E E PA G E 2 6 R. Gudbranson Cardinal rules Cardinal Health in October partnered with AmeriCares to deliver more than 1 million supply items to healthcare workers in West African nations fi ghting an Ebola outbreak. Cardinal has partnered with AmeriCares, which aids survivors of natural disasters, disease outbreaks and extreme poverty around the world, for more than 18 years. "As a company with concerns for the health and well-being of people around the world, we're proud to be able to support inter- national relief efforts," stated Mike Duffy, president, medical prod- ucts at Cardinal Health. See what providers are doing, page 12. AeroCare CEO Steve Griggs See story page 13 T H E B U S I N E S S N E W S P A P E R F O R H O M E M E D I C A L E Q U I P M E N T P R O V I D E R S W W W . H M E N E W S . C O M