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Continue to Site HME Business Home News Topics COVID-19 Accreditation Competitive Bidding DME Pharmacy Legislative Mobility Oxygen Pain Management Retail Sales and Marketing Sleep Therapy Software/IT Resources Whitepapers Buyers Guide DME Associations Podcasts Request Media Kit Subscribe Digital Edition Events Q1 Most-Read: The Industry’s Future Takes Center Stage HME Increasingly Seen as Critical to Hospital-at-Home Programs Philips Agrees to FDA Consent Decree on Sleep, Respiratory Care Devices AAHomecare Introduces Enteral Nutrition White Paper Study: Caregivers’ Health Is Poorer Than Health of Non-Caregivers Report: Medicare Advantage Plans Drain Medicare Trust Fund Without Improving Care CMS Releases Details of Lymphedema Compression Treatment Coverage AARC Expounds on New Branding Commentary: What Will 2024 Be Like for Pharmacies? Feature Stories See MoreCMS Pauses Group 2 Seat Elevation Coding, Funding Decisions The latest HCPCS Coding Cycle included coding and allowables for CRT seat elevation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced its final coding, benefit category, and payment determinations for seat elevation on Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) power wheelchairs. But the agency is putting off its final coding and funding decisions for seat elevation on consumer power chairs. The CRT determinations were included in CMS’s Second… Why Cardinal Health ‘Wants to Be a Major’ Enabler of At-Home Care Rob Schlissberg, president of Cardinal Health’s at-home business, looks forward to 2024. NHIA Releases Practice Standard for Home Infusion Electronic Mechanical Pumps New standard provides guidance to home infusion stakeholders. Study: Caregivers’ Health Is Poorer Than Health of Non-Caregivers U.K. study cites the mental and physical toll of taking care of others. CMS Releases Details of Lymphedema Compression Treatment Coverage Medicare coverage starts Jan. 1, 2024. Legislative See MoreAAHomecare: Final Push Needed for S.1294/H.R. 5555 Support Advocates are asked to reach out to their Senators and Representatives. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has asked industry members to reach out to their Senators and Representatives on behalf of bills S. 1294 and H.R. 5555, which would extend the 75/25 blended rate for home medical suppliers in non-competitive-bidding areas. In a Dec. 13 announcement, AAHomecare noted that H.R. 5555 was approved by the… House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Approves Two HME Bills H.R. 5555 and H.R. 5371 now proceed to the full Energy & Commerce Committee. NCPA Supports Senate PBM Bills The Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act was passed by the Senate Finance Committee last week. NHIA Submits Home Infusion Comments to Congressional Committees The association noted how home infusion can improve outcomes while saving money. AARC Reports Successful Annual Respiratory Fly-in Advocates attended more than 200 meetings on Capitol Hill. Today on HME Business By Robert Holly | May 10, 2024 AdaptHealth Puts Leadership Questions to Bed, New CEO Ready to Navigate HME Market Challenges Sleep therapy accounted for the majority of the company’s Q1 revenue. When Richard Barasch took on the title of interim CEO of AdaptHealth Corp. (Nasdaq: AHCO) roughly a year ago, he wasn’t expecting to be in the temporary role for long. Ultimately, AdaptHealth took a methodical and diligent approach to its CEO search, however. While the process may have took longer than anticipated, it resulted in… By Laurie Watanabe | May 10, 2024 NCPA: Pharmacies Still Suffering, UnitedHealth Doing ‘Bare Minimum’ Months After Cyberattack The National Community Pharmacists Association said disruptions caused by Change Healthcare issues continue. Pharmacies continue to suffer disruptions in the wake of the February cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group, with UnitedHealth doing little to improve the situation, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) said in comments to Congress. In a May 1 announcement, the NCPA said it submitted comments to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and… By Laurie Watanabe | May 10, 2024 Inogen Earnings Call: ‘Very Modest Tailwinds’ for Home Respiratory Sales CEO Kevin R. Smith said the company remains focused on establishing and advancing its path to profitability. Inogen acknowledged an uptick in its home respiratory business in light of a competitor’s exit, and said it was prepared to capitalize on potential outstanding customer demands as the year goes on.” Those comments were made by Inogen President/CEO/Director Kevin R. Smith during the Goleta, California, company’s May 7 earnings call. While Smith didn’t mention… By Robert Holly | May 10, 2024 Viemed Banking on Emerging Hospital JV Strategy, Recovering from Change Healthcare Disruptions In an earnings call, Viemed indicated it is hitting its key goals. In terms of achieving further growth and hitting on key goals, Viemed Healthcare Inc. (Nasdaq: VMD) is ahead of schedule. That’s according to the Lafayette, Louisiana-based home medical equipment (HME) company’s leadership team, which offered an update on Viemed and its 2024 strategic priorities during a first-quarter earnings call earlier this month. The positive start… By Laurie Watanabe | May 7, 2024 Restructuring, Home-Based Care Tailwinds Fuel Cardinal Health’s at-Home Solutions Business Cardinal Health made its latest earnings report on May 2. Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) continues to see strong business growth across its operating departments, led by its large pharmaceutical and specialty solutions segment. The Dublin, Ohio-based company’s at-Home Solutions division likewise continues to see steady gains, propelled by home-based care tailwinds along with internal investments from Cardinal Health in the form of state-of-the-art distribution centers… By Laurie Watanabe | May 7, 2024 What HME Employers Should Know About FTC’s National Ban on Noncompetes Would a ban support startup businesses and encourage innovation? In the home medical equipment (HME) industry, some employers may seek to discourage their brightest stars and highest performers from leaving the organization via noncompete agreements. That might not be possible for much longer. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on April 23 voted 3-2 to finalize a new rule blocking employers from using noncompete agreements… By Laurie Watanabe | May 7, 2024 Piriano Named NCART’s Senior Director of Payer Relations & Regulatory Affairs Julie Piriano most recently served as Pride Mobility’s VP of clinical education. Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) industry veteran Julie Piriano, PT, ATP/SMS, is the new senior director of payer relations & regulatory affairs for the National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART). In a May 6 news announcement, NCART said Piriano will be working to ensure that all payers and insurers follow policy and cover required… By Laurie Watanabe | May 7, 2024 CMS to Discuss Catheter Code Changes at May HCPCS Meeting May 28 meeting will give stakeholders the opportunity to comment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will discuss coding changes for intermittent urinary catheters at its May 28 First Biannual 2024 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPSCS) Public Meeting. Catheters are the first home medical equipment (HME) item on the May 28 agenda. The coding meeting will run from May 28 through May… By Laurie Watanabe | April 30, 2024 CMS Issues Final Rule on Access to Medicaid Services The final rule seeks to provide beneficiaries greater Medicaid program input. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule on Medicaid access. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) discussed the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule in an April 24 bulletin, stating, One of the biggest changes in this final rule are updates to documentation related to access to care… By Laurie Watanabe | April 30, 2024...