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
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VOLUME 21 — NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 2015 $7.00 HME NEWS POLL ■ How successful will your year be? That's up to you, says Mike Sperduti, president/CEO of Emerge Sales. See page 7. ■ Product Spotlight: This month we feature orthotics, prosthetics and soft goods like the BraceTek Knee ROM from ThermoTek. See pages 18-19. ■ Did you see an increase in audit actitivity in 2014? What is the most ridiculous denial you've received? See results on page 23. N E W S ■ Groups set stage for audit reform. PAGE 3 S M A RT TA L K ■ This month, our columnists tackle assessment checklists. PAGES 8-9 C O M M E N TA RY ■ Thanks to the hard work of HME providers, AAHomecare and state leaders, the industry's credibility is at an all- time high, says Robert Steedley, chairman of AAHomecare's board of directors. PAGE 7 D E PA RT M E N T S PROVIDERS ■ Cape Medical prioritizes sleep. PAGE 10 ■ Wright & Filippis rebrands. PAGE 11 MOBILITY ■ Provider offers rent to own. PAGE 13 ■ AOTA rejects position paper. PAGE 14 RX & SPECIALTY PROVIDERS ■ Eric Cohen tests apps. PAGE 16 ■ PHS launches video series. PAGE 16 VENDORS ■ Van Halem Group grows. PAGE 20 ■ ResMed raises awareness. PAGE 20 W W W . H M E N E W S . C O M CMS kick-starts new nat'l program THE ROAD AHEAD Rotech back in biz Bills get second act F I G H T S E E PA G E 1 7 D M E R A C S E E PA G E 4 CEO Tim Pigg says company has the staying power and the capital to ride the current market diffi culties BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor A S W E E P I N G N E W p ro - gram to identify over- payments specifi cally for DME, home health and hospice is underway. CMS announced on Dec. 30, amidst the quiet of the holidays, that it selected Connolly as the recovery audit contractor (RAC) to oversee the national program. "The announcement came a lot earlier than I thought," said Wayne van Halem, president of the van Halem Group. "I thought BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor WASHINGTON – Legislation to reform the competitive bidding program was reintroduced in both the House of Representa- tives and the Senate Jan. 12. "To have our champions working collaboratively to BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor ORLANDO, Fla. – Rotech Healthcare in December announced its fi rst a c q u i s i t i o n i n several years and the company has indicated it's only the beginning. " R o t e c h i s looking to lever- age its platform t o e x p a n d i t s presence in exist- ing and new markets," stated CEO Tim Pigg in a press release. "Unlike many of our smaller dis- tressed competitors, we have the BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor PITTSBURGH – Healthcare giant Highmark has stepped into the sleep market with a new sleep wellness store, REMWorks. "Our goal is to be able to offer a solution to everyone who has a challenge, from someone with just occasional sleeplessness to someone who has snoring issues to someone who may have an BY JOHN ANDREWS, Contributing Editor CARY, N.C. – The Accreditation Commission for Home Care (ACHC) is looking for a few good consultants. More than a few, actually. The Cary, N.C.-based agency 'It's not over yet,' says AAHomecare's Tom Ryan drop both bills is good," said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare. we'd have until mid-2015." Wilton, Conn.-based Connolly is already the RAC for Jurisdic- tion C, the largest of the four jurisdictions. With Connolly's background, industry stakeholders suspect it will be up and running in no time, starting with the reviews it already has in the pipeline. Those include a number of automated reviews, and complex reviews for power mobility devices and lower limb prostheses. "From there, they're going to underlying sleep issue that they are not even aware of," said Amy Phillips, director of REMWorks. The retail store, which opened Dec. 13, carries traditional CPAP machines and masks, over-the- counter remedies, relaxation devices and aromatherapy prod- ucts. REMWorks will also offer cognitive behavioral therapy. The staff includes RTs, an RN and a staying power to ride the current market diffi culties and (the) cap- ital available to invest in our core products." Rotech acquired "certain assets" from Specialty Medical Services in Cody, Wyo., allow- ing the company to serve respi- ratory-related patients. "I think they are going to stick very close to as much oxygen as possible and, sec- ondarily, sleep," said Rick Glass, president of Steven Richards & Associates. "They are back in business and looking to do acquisitions." ACHC bolsters program has decided to bolster its a c c re d i t a t i o n p ro g r a m b y adding a roster of professional consultants to give subscribers "the opportunity to get the most from their ACHC accreditation experience," says marketing Healthcare giant makes play in sleep REMWORKS WON'T HAVE AN ADVANTAGE over other providers even though its parent company, Highmark, is an insurer, company offi cials say. Rehab stakeholders want to be front of line See story page 13 R O T E C H S E E PA G E 1 4 A C H C S E E PA G E 2 2 H I G H M A R K S E E PA G E 1 7 Rick Glass 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