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/864813
New Products hme news / september 2017 / www.hmenews.com 29 Periodicals postage paid at Yarmouth, ME and additional mailing office. HME News (ISSN 10913823) is published monthly by United Publications, Inc., 106 Lafayette St., PO Box 998, Yarmouth, ME 04096; 207-846-0600. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in the magazine. Contributors are responsible for proprietary classified information. ©2017 by United Publications. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher is expressly prohibited. Reprints may be obtained from The YGS Group at 717-505-9701, ext. 100. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back issue orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. HME News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified home medical equipment providers. Paid print subscriptions to those not qualified cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada and $150 to all other countries. All payments must be made in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, please call 800-869-6882. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HME News, PO Box 1888, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-1888. Texas Health and Human Services Pro- curement Manual, the "fundamental premise underlying public procurement is the requirement of equal opportunity allowing all qualified responsive and responsible vendors an opportunity to obtain the government's business," Colbert writes in the compliant. "The sole source contract provided to Medline from Superior does not have a valid justification for awarding Medline exclusive right to provide hundreds of DME supplies that numerous, local, participating Texas DME supplies are currently providing," she wrote. "Supe- rior's sole source, exclusive contract with Medline diminishes, not stimu- lates, competition. The contract clear- ly promotes favoritism and does not secure the best work and materials at the lowest price, for the best interests of the taxpayers and property owners." It el I m I nates cho I ce Colbert points out that HHS this past June established "MCO Policy Guid- ance on Preferred Provider Arrange- ments" in direct response to recent efforts by several MCOs to establish preferred provider arrangements for medical supplies. The goal: to protect $189 to $239, compared to $300 to $500 in a podiatrist's office. Katz, along with her brothers Aviad and Oren Raz, spent two years work- ing with a top podiatrist testing various orthotics and materials. "There were many challenges to mak- ing custom orthotics without seeing the customer," said Aviad Oren, co-found- er. "The main issue is how to make foot impressions and how to fit it into the shoe." The process Upstep settled on: Cus- tomers receive a footprint kit in their homes, with easy instructions to make an imprint; then the company uses 3D technology to scan the imprint and cre- ate a custom orthotic based on the cus- tomer's specific needs. Upstep stores those scans in its data- board of directors. "I'm humbled over it, especially having known Jim and his philosophy and work." Brandt soke with HME News recently about the role of O&P; and the impor- tance of accreditation. HME N E ws: How has O&P; changed over the years? Harry Brandt: It used to be everyone made their own stuff, made it in their lab in the back. It evolved out of a trade rather than a clinical profession. It has evolved into less of an art and more rely- ing on more pre-manufactured devices. Not that those aren't thought out, but there's still a lot of people who don't fit into those types of pigeon holes. HME: Why does certification and accredi- tation matter? Brandt: It makes the industry better, makes it run more efficiently. BOC is one of the deemed Medicare accreditation folks for DME and O&P.; Seeing those different companies that our surveyors go out to, they are looking at those stan- dards that an organization may be defi- the ability of Medicaid recipients to choose the network participating DME supplier they prefer. "Superior has already begun to remove the 'choice' of suppliers as evidenced in its notice that it is automatically cut- ting off current suppliers' DME services to members as of Aug. 31," she wrote. "Further, Superior advised Alliance on a recorded call on July 7 that, 'Patient does not have a choice starting Sept. 1—it will automatically go through Medline.'" It I ncreases the chance for fraud Colbert also points out that as part of the contract, Medline does not have to submit prior authorizations for any supplies. Furthermore, Superior has authorized the company to fill in and complete doctor's prescriptions. "The removal of these compliance elements certainly lends itself to oppor- tunities and implications for 'kick- backs,' upcoding, providing services not medically necessary and billing for services not provided," she writes. "Exclusive removal of controls for one, large, exclusive DME supplier certainly puts Texas Medicaid funds at risk for fraud and abuse." HME cient in, but they're also making them aware of what a great job they're doing. HME: What is most challenging about working in O&P;? Brandt: Being able to get reimbursed for the service that you provide. With a lot of insurers and Medicare, because we are in a category with DME, we are looked at as product providers. We're feeling downward pressure on reimbursement and you try to do more with less. But sometimes you have to be able to con- tinue to spend that time with the patient and make that connection. HME: How do you see your role helping patients? Brandt: You really have to make that human connection. It almost makes your fitting better. You've gained the trust of that patient. What I try to share with someone I'm teaching is that if you can just do that, you can learn all that other stuff. You can learn how to fit. If you can't figure out how to make a human connection with a patient, you're never going to win. HME base, so customers can order additional orthotics for up to five years. "It's easy—it takes five minutes," said Katz. "It makes us happy to make a product that lets people come home with a lot of energy and enable them to focus on fam- ily and on fun things, and not on their feet," she continued. Katz and Oren believe a cheaper and simpler process for obtaining custom orthotics will help to upend a statistic that has only one-third of the 77% of Americans who suffer from foot pain doing anything about it. "Custom orthotics are very expensive and the process for (obtaining them) can be very frustrating," said Oren. "We provide a holistic solution for each customer." HME Brandt: Make hu M an connection c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 2 0 c ontract pro M otes 'favoritis M ' c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 4 upstep M odernizes orthotics c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 1 Cure Medical Cure Ultra Intermittent Catheter for Men The sterile, single use Cure Ultra Intermittent Catheter for Men offers an easy tear top, fire- polished eyelets and a 16-inch long catheter. Pre- lubricated straight tip with CoverAll technology—no drip, less mess. Easy gripper sleeve for better con- trol. Will not kink when bent. "No Roll" connector funnel end. Sizes 8-18 French. Not made with DEHP, BPA or natural rubber latex. www.curemed I cal.com s unrise Medical Quickie IRIS The Quickie IRIS tilt-in- space wheelchair has an increased weight capac- ity of 300 pounds on the standard wheelchair and 400 pounds on the heavy-duty option. Aesthetic modifications include black tires and five-spoke mags. Improvements to the design of the seat allow easier and quicker installation of positioning components. Built-4-Med options, such as the angle adjustable push handles with recline and the Z-finity footrest system, are now offered as a standard option for the Quickie. www.sunr I semed I cal.com Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare Panther Heavy-Duty 4-Wheel Scooter The Panther offers a num- ber of features to provide the user with a smooth and comfortable driving experi- ence, including front and rear suspension with pneu- matic tires, easy free-wheel mode, one-touch tiller posi- tioning and ergonomic delta control handles. Safety and convenience features include anti-tip wheels, positioning belt and dual rear view mirrors. The scooter has a weight capacity of 425 pounds, a top speed of 8 mph and a 25-mile range. www.dr I vemed I cal.com Therafirm Sheer Ease New Sheer Ease patterns feature beautiful and fash- ionable designs. Sheer Ease products are made of super soft, breathable and moisture-wicking materials. Gradient compression delivers a controlled amount of pressure, which is greatest at the ankle of the garment and gradually decreases toward the top. Sheer Ease Patterns will feature a scallop pattern for knee highs and a diamond pattern for both thigh highs and panty- hose in two compression levels: mild (15-20 mmHg), and moderate (20-30 mmHg). www.theraf I rm.com A DVE r T is E r iNDE x Company .........................................Page .......Website ......................................................Phone Barber DME Supply Group ..............8..............www.sleepwellrested.com ............. 888-834-4381 Brightree LLC ...................................7..............www.brightree.com ........................ 888-598-7797 Cure Medical ....................................16............www.curemedical.com ................... 800-570-1778 Golden Technologies ........................5..............www.goldentech.com .................... 800-624-6374 HME Business Summit ....................24............www.hmesummit.com ................... 207-846-0600 Inogen ...............................................9..............www.inogen.com ........................... 800-374-9137 Invacare Corporation ........................32............www.invacare.com ......................... 800-333-6900 Masimo Corporation ........................31............www.masimo.com .......................... 800-326-4890 Medtrade ..........................................22-23 ......www.medtradespring.com ............. 800-241-9034 Pride Mobility Products Corp. ..........2-3 ..........www.pridemobility.com .................. 866-800-2002 ResMed ............................................14,17.......www.resmed.com .......................... 800-424-0737 Trace Medical ...................................12............www.tracemedical.com .................. 888-627-0950 Universal Software Solutions, Inc. ...13............www.universalss.com .................... 810-653-5000 VGM Group ......................................6..............www.vgm.com ............................... 800-642-6065