Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/52926
Vendors 30 HME NEWS / FEBRUARY 2012 / WWW.HMENEWS.COM BRIEFS AirSep named in lawsuit BUFFALO, N.Y. – AirSep is being sued by the family of a woman who died after her New- Life Elite stationary oxygen concentrator ex- ploded, according to a Dec. 12 story in the Staten Island Advance. Josephine Trenta- coste suffered severe thermal burns to her legs and body in the March 30 incident and died of her injuries six weeks later. The family seeks more than $2.5 million in damages. A spokeswoman for AirSep told the newspaper that the manufacturer was aware of the law- suit but declined to comment further. Sunrise gives notice LONGMONT, Colo. – Sunrise Medical now pro- vides advance shipping and back-order no- tifications to providers via email or fax when they sign up and specify their communica- tion preferences at www.sunrisemedical. com. These new features mean providers no longer have to research orders. Also, Sunrise now provides a "custom modification ser- vice" for its Jay cushions and backs. VGM, Dream partner WATERLOO, Iowa – The VGM Group announced in December that it has joined forces with Dream Software to help providers standard- ize prescription and documentation of medi- cal necessity. Dream's real-time electronic prescribing and automated documentation software ensures that every patient is pro- cessed and documented identically. Fastrack taps database PLAINVIEW, N.Y. – Fastrack Healthcare Systems announced in December that it has launched a new feature that taps into a master death index database to determine if patients in a provider's system are deceased. If the sys- tem finds a patient who is deceased, it au- tomatically discharges the patient; places all open orders on hold; creates a pick-up ticket for rentals; and stops all related billing. Nonin gets 15 minutes MINNEAPOLIS – Nonin Medical's Go2 Personal Finger Pulse Oximeter was featured on "The Balancing Act," a TV show on the Lifetime channel, on Dec. 13. Yvonne Leonard, the consumer products marketing manager at Nonin Medical, was the show's featured guest. Nipro wins award FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nipro Diagnostics has won the 2011 Manufacturer of the Year Award from the Manufacturers Association of Florida. Nipro was recognized in the large company category (500-plus employees). Short takes John Phillips Strongsville, Ohio-based Roscoe Medical has ap- pointed Daniel Radish as CFO...Otto Bock Health- Care has appointed John Phillips, an ATP, as senior market and training man- ager, custom seating, Mo- bility Solutions. Invacare and FDA: 'Lot of back and forth' Meanwhile, multiple law forms investigate possible mismanagement BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were still trying to negotiate an agreement at press time in January to address concerns with the company's corporate headquarters and wheelchair manufacturing facility here. "The negotiations can take a couple of months," said Lara Mahoney, director of investor relations UPDATE Also see "Invacare, FDA in negotiations," January 2011 and corporate communications. "It could be sooner or later than that. There's a lot of back-and-forth that happens." Invacare announced in December that the FDA has proposed it suspend certain operations at the facilities until the com- pany makes changes to its operations. While in negotiations with the FDA, Invacare continues to boost its compliance efforts: It announced in January that it has named Doug Uelmen senior vice president, quality assurance and regulatory affairs. Uelmen has successfully led remediation efforts in his previous positions with GE Healthcare and Abbott Laboratores. Inva- care also continues to manufacture prod- ucts, Mahoney said. "We're in full production," she said. Since Invacare announced on Dec. 8 that it would work with the FDA to negotiate an agreement, called a consent decree, at least half a dozen law firms have announced investigations on behalf of shareholders. All of their releases have similar verbiage: "(Insert name of law firm here) is investi- gating potential claims against the board of directors of Invacare concerning the com- pany's failure to comply with the federal regulations in its wheelchair manufactur- ing business," reads one. "Our investigation concerns whether the board of directors has breached its fiduciary duties, mismanaged the company and/or wasted corporate assets at the expense of shareholders." Such releases are "fairly typical" for pub- licly traded companies whose stocks suffer a dramatic decline, Mahoney said. Invacare saw its stock price drop from $20.58 to $14.70 on Dec. 8. It was $15.63 on Jan. 4. "I have been on the phone with different investors and shareholders, and what we've been talking to them about is that we're taking the situation seriously and that we've hired outside consultants to help," she said. "We've been available to answer their questions." HME ArjoHuntleigh goes home BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor ADDISON, Ill. – ArjoHuntleigh may be best known for manufacturing patient lifts for the acute care market, but Phil Croxford is trying to change that. Croxford, president and CEO of Addi- son, Ill.-based ArjoHuntleigh North Amer- ica, helped launch a new division called ArjoHuntleigh Home Care in December. "When I came on board in 2008, I couldn't understand why we weren't mar- keting to the continuum of care," he said. The foundation for the homecare divi- sion: BHM Medical, a Canadian company that ArjoHuntleigh acquired in 2004 that manufactures lifts for use in the home. ArjoHuntleigh has integrated BHM Med- ical into its North American commercial operation and combined BHM Medical's product portfolio with its own. That means ArjoHuntleigh Home Care offers everything from patient lifts to bath- ing systems to wound care products to medical beds. "We've added more products to the bank," Croxford said. A big reason the homecare market in the United States is attractive to ArjoHuntle- igh, a global company that employs more than 4,400 and serves patients in more ARJO SEE NEXT PAGE STATE OF BATTERIES Pricing and quality BY LIZ BEAULIEU, Editor ANAHEIM, Calif. – Despite a $700 fluctua- tion in the price of lead in the last few months of 2011, MK Battery plans to start the new year off with a price break. The price of lead has been as high as $2,500 and as low as $1,800 per metric ton. On Dec. 22, it was $1,955. "The only thing consistent with lead prices is their inconsistency," said Wayne Merdinger, director of marketing for MK Battery. FRIENDLY BED Bill-Ray Home Mobility, which manufactures and provides the Friendly Bed, has opened a show- room in Appleton, Wis., to showcase its flagship product and allow users to try it out. The Friendly Bed comprises a freestanding framework that sits above a user's existing bed and is integrated with a heavy-duty system of components (trapeze, assist rails, balance pole, etc.). Add to that: Other commodities, such as gas, have been high, not to mention other business expenses, such as health care, say company officials. Still, MK Battery reduced prices for some battery types and for some mar- kets on Jan. 1. That's largely because, for about two years now, the company has been setting its battery prices based on a three-month average of lead pric- es. When lead prices go up or down at least $100, they trigger an increase or decrease in battery prices. This time around, it's a decrease. "It's a way to manage commodities, because it can be a challenge." "It's a way to manage commodities, because it can be a challenge," said Dennis Sharpe, national sales manager. "We're heavily dependent on commodi- ties for the price of our products." CHRONIC LOW BATTERY? Providers have complained that cost pressures have forced manufacturers to make lower quality wheelchairs. What about wheelchair batteries? One reader emailed HME News to share his con- cern that batteries don't last as long as they used to, especially for heavy- duty wheelchair users. Officials at MK Battery say they continue to provide "the same high quality" batteries and that its war- ranty rates remain low. "There certainly are pressures in the reimbursement arena that have caused many providers to use lower quality products and that would account for the perception that battery quality, in general, has declined," Merdinger said. "Unfortunately, the axiom you get what you pay for applies to battery quality." But some providers say it has less to MK BATTERY SEE NEXT PAGE Pride Mobility hosts career day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ArjoHuntleigh launches homecare division ........... 30 MK Battery gives providers a break ................. 30 Group fights to keep reimbursement for TENS ........ 31 ■ Q&A: ResMed's Mick Farrell discusses the company's future and yours. See story page 32.