Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31509
s Commentary: In a speech at the April 5 PAOC meeting, provider Rob Brant explained why he was closing his doors. See page 13. s Product Focus: This month, manufacturers submitted their fl agship bath safety products, like the I-Fit Shower Chair from Invacare. For more products, see pages 30-31. HME NEWS POLL s The Affordable Care Act includes incentives to reduce hospital re-admissions. Do you have a program in place to help do this? See results on page 38. VOLUME 17 — NUMBER 5 MAY 2011 $7.00 THE BUSINESS NEWSP APER FOR HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PRO VIDERS NEWS s Bidding conference renews reform vs. repeal debate. PAGE 4 s ‘Direct solicitation’ remains murky. PAGE 4 s PECOS: Don’t forget to register. PAGE 6 SMART TALK s This month, our columnists tackle wellness programs, extrapolation audits, e-commerce products and professional advice. PAGES 14-15 COMMENTARY s While not directly affected by accountable care organization policies, HME providers still need to be working on collecting data to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of their services and developing relationships with hospitals, writes Invacare’s Cara Bachenheimer. PAGE 13 DEPARTMENTS PROVIDERS s Premier opens retail store. PAGE 17 s Q&A: Bob McCoy. PAGE 17 s Georgia provider dumps power chairs. PAGE 18 REHAB s ATG Rehab makes two buys. PAGE 23 s MAMES forms rehab committee. PAGE 24 s Alick’s sees ‘opportunity.’ PAGE 25 RX & SPECIALTY PROVIDERS s ASP: Budesonide plunges. PAGE 27 s UroMed launches ad campaign. PAGE 27 s Women’s health products require fresh approach. PAGE 28 VENDORS s Inogen shrugs off naysayers. PAGE 33 s Invacare announces price increase. PAGE 33 s Golden nabs VA contract. PAGE 34 Sleep shifts Providers stand to grow with market BY THERESA FLAHERTY Managing Editor T WWW.HMENEWS.COM he sleep market has seen a lot of changes over the past two years. The advent of home sleep testing(HST) and new patient compliance rules have shifted the focus from diagnosis- only to diagnosis and treatment, says Gary Burk, an industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan. The good news for home medical equip- ment providers: They’re already doing the follow-up treatment and are well-positioned to grow with the market, he told HME News recently. HME NEWS: How has (HST) impact- ed the sleep market? Gary Burk: Initially, from a sleep center perspective, they wondered: Is this going to cannibalize our business or is it going to open the fl oodgates? (Prior to HST), their focus had been 100% on diagnosis. Now that has shifted to not only diagnosis, but treatment, and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 37 Permobil: On a ‘Power Trip’ Lebanon, Tenn.-based Permobil on March 14 kicked off a 32-stop tour in Miami to support its new M300 mid- wheel drive wheelchair and Corpus 3G seating sys- tem. The tour, called “Power Trip,” will end June 16 in St. Louis. For more information on the tour, go to www.permobil- powertrip.com. Competitive bidding Medicare slows down Round 2 BY THERESA FLAHERTY Managing Editor BALTIMORE – CMS announced April 5 that it would delay the start of Round 2 of competitive bidding to allow time for “potential structural changes” to the program, said industry stakeholders. CMS made the announce- ment during a meeting of the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee (PAOC). Under the revised timeline, the agency will announce contract winners in spring 2013 and it will implement pricing in summer 2013. “They have been getting signifi - cant pressure from the industry, from the 167 economists and from other government offi cials to make changes,” said Seth Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility, who attended the PAOC meeting. “In order to make CONTINUED ON PAGE 37 Tentative timeline SUMMER 2011 Announce product categories FALL 2011 Announce bidding schedule Begin bidder registration WINTER 2012 Registration ends Open bidding Document review begins SPRING 2012 Bidding closes Notify suppliers of missing fi nancial documents Begin bid evaluation FALL 2012 Bid evaluation ends Announce payment amounts Begin contracting SPRING 2013 Announce contract suppliers SUMMER 2013 Implement Round 2 LMI: ‘We’re back’ BY THERESA FLAHERTY Managing Editor MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - Landauer Metropolitan Inc. (LMI) is back on the acqui- sition trail. In March, it snapped up Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaba Healthcare and it has no plans to stop there. “The owners didn’t understand our space and wanted out,” said CEO Lou Rocco. “We got a good value.” Kaba Healthcare, a subsidiary of Woodmark Healthcare Enterprises, a network of skilled nursing facilities, has $2 million in annual revenues. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 Embattled Majors Mobility closes doors Provider tries to get fi nancing from six banks, large and small, to no avail BY LIZ BEAULIEU Editor TOPSHAM, Maine – In one year, Majors Mobility has gone from two loca- tions in Maine to none. In March of last year, Majors Mobility closed its Scarborough location, and in March of this year, it closed its Topsham loca- tion. The reason: President Tyrrell Hunter couldn’t get the fi nancing she needed to turn her business around after a rocky few years. “We had been trying to get CONTINUED ON PAGE 36