Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/50323
10 State News Kevin Hill of TAHCS: 'We're being challenged' BY THERESA FLAHERTY, Managing Editor TYLER, Texas – As if owning a home medical equipment company wasn't enough to keep provider Kevin Hill busy, he recently stepped into the role of president of the Texas Alli- ance for Home Care Services (TAHCS). Hill, who, along with his wife, owns CPS Medical in Tyler, Texas, spoke to HME News recently about why the industry needs to make like Paul Revere. HME NEWS: What made you take on this role? Kevin Hill: Our industry has given me a lot over the years. It's fed my family and provided services to people in our community. And at some point you just have to give back. HME: What are the biggest issues the industry faces right now? Hill: Competitive bidding is the biggest issue. The process of audits is right on its heels. Competitive bidding is something that is going to be difficult if not impossible to mod- ify. That said, we still need to step in there and fight the good fight, for our industry and the recipients of our services. Ultimately, those are the people that are being hurt. HME: How long have you been in the HME industry? Hill: I grew up in the medical supply busi- ness. My father had a hospital medical supply store in Austin. Then, in 1980, I was teach- ing respiratory therapy and the opportunity and funding came up to provide oxygen con- centrators for people in the community with chronic lung disease who were receiving few services. HME: Got any goals for your work with TAHCS? Hill: I think we need to be like Paul Revere and get the word out. They are coming for everybody in the industry and we need to become more aware of what's going on. We are being challenged to exist. In limiting fraud and abuse, we've initiated price cuts, accreditation, surety bonds—everything that the government has asked us for. HME WWW.HMENEWS.COM / JANUARY 2012 / HME NEWS Advocate of the year The Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services drew 140 participants to its 31st Annual Meeting held Nov. 10-11 in Dublin, Ohio. Several attendees were recognized for service to the HME industry. Provider Craig Rowitz, of Cincinnati-based Care Medical, received the David T. Williams Advocate of the Year award for his participation on state and federal levels. The award is in honor of David Williams, an advocate for people with disabilities, who died last year. Pictured with Rowitz is Fran Williams, Williams' widow. CLOCK STARTS TICKING ON BIDDING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sooner rather than later, because the process can take some time. That goes for providers that are on the fence about participating in the program, too. "Providers have to register to keep their options open," said Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Invacare. "It's probably not a good idea for them to think they're not going to register or that they're not going to participate in one way or another." While industry stakeholders are encour- aging providers to be prepared, they're skeptical that CMS will be. Compared to Round 1, the agency will have to collect and review bids for 10 times as many areas in Round 2. "Look at the dates for when the bid win- dow closes and the single payment amounts are announced—they're leaving themselves about six months to evaluate contracts," said Walt Gorksi, vice president of government affairs for AAHomecare. "This is a cumber- some process, and when processes are cum- DEVILBISS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Then it took DeVilbiss well into 2011 to deal with "operational difficulties" due to what new President and CEO Ed Murphy calls "separation anxiety." Chief among those difficulties: a new enterprise resource planning system, which controls the com- pany's production, inventory, etc. But now, Murphy is ready to say: "The best way to sum up my goal for DeVil- biss is to bring it back to its former glory. You're talking about a company that's been around for almost 125 years—it has been one of the leaders in the industry. But it kind of lost its way when it was com- bined with Sunrise. Now I believe we've regained our focus and we're back on a growth path." Murphy joined DeVilbiss as COO in July. When then-President and CEO Alan Panzer decided to relinquish his day-to- day duties and become chairman of the board, Murphy took over the reins. He's no stranger to the medical device industry: His past employers include Baxter (respi- bersome, that's when mistakes get made." In addition to announcing a more detailed timeline, CMS announced an enhanced bid- der education program for Round 2 that features updated fact sheets and a series of webcasts. That's all well and good, industry stakeholders say, but the problems they had with Round 1, including a lack of transpar- ency surrounding financial requirements, remain outstanding. That's why industry stakeholders continue to lobby lawmakers to support an alterna- tive to competitive bidding. They're asking lawmakers to attach their market-pricing program (MPP) to one of the bills that must get passed before the end of the year, like the "doc fix" bill. "Hopefully, CMS's announcement will re- energize the industry to educate our legisla- tors on the reasons why MPP is so impor- tant to be put in place before the bid window opens," said Seth Johnson, vice president of government affairs for Pride Mobility Prod- ucts. HME ratory), Intertech Resources (disposables) and TherMatrx (urologicals). With things now humming along smoothly at its facility in Somerset, Pa., DeVilbiss can now focus on re-connecting with its customers. It's doing that by, among other things, increasing the size of its sales force, boosting its presence at trade shows like Medtrade and taking out ads. "We've already changed from an inward- looking focus to an outward-looking focus," he said. "Now we're working with customers to help them solve some of their problems." With a foot in both home oxygen (including portable and transfilling tech- nology) and sleep therapy (including auto- adjust technology), DeVilbiss believes it's well-positioned to help providers weather competitive bidding and other reimburse- ment challenges. "With the cross-pressures that are occurring and are going to continue to occur in this industry, everyone's looking to streamline their operations, and the ability to deal with fewer vendors is always something people look to do," he said. HME