Currently the bill has 166 co-sponsors, with two of the recent additions to its supporters being Reps. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) and Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) according to Thompson, who introduced the bill into the House of Representatives with Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.). The unofficial goal for the bill is to garner 218 co-sponsors.

Thompson, a jokingly self-described “recovering nursing home administrator,” and the Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers Legislator of the Year explained that the providers that engaged in the Washington Conference’s lobbying efforts were critical to stopping competitive bidding, because most lawmakers are not well-versed in the program’s negative impact.

“Despite what some people believe, there are not a lot of experts regarding healthcare in Washington,” Thomspon joked. “When I look at some of the policies that are put forward on Capitol Hill. … So, you are doing a great favor and a great service to the elected representatives that you will visit.”

Thompson said that, from a policy perspective, he had four principles that guided his decision-making when it came to healthcare:

It should decrease cost.
It should increase access.
It should further America’s reputation for healthcare quality and innovation.
The consumer should be in control and have choice.

“As monopolies are created, and jobs are eliminated, we will see an increase in costs, we will see a decrease in access,” he continued. “Providing medical devices and adjunct devices is more than providing a piece of equipment; it’s the services, it’s the expertise.”

While calling for the repeal of competitive bidding is a cause with which the industry agrees and has backed, much of the industry’s more recent lobbying efforts have been focused on supporting the Market Pricing Program, which is aims to replace competitive bidding with a program that the industry can survive and that would gain support of lawmakers in both the House and the Senate, a body with which the industry has struggled to find lobbying traction. Thompson explained that providers can back a lobbying agenda that supports both the MPP and FIMBA:

“The MPP is a great compromise, but that’s what it is a compromise,” he said. “It acknowledges the fiscal environment that we’re in today, and the low-bidding that impacts price and that [creates] contracts that can’t be fulfilled.

“Right now we have great momentum with H.R. 1041, which clearly defines the problem,” he continued. “We have bi-partisan support, with co-sponsorship from some of the leaders of both sides [of the House]. We really need to keep building on H.R. 1041. … Then we’ll need to vote for a hearing, and I think we’ll get that venue; more co-sponsors will help the mandate for that.

“From there, at some point strategically, it would make sense that perhaps we have our replacement bill,” Thompson said, explaining that H.R. 1041’s momentum and co-sponsorhip could be leveraged to support the MPP. “But it’s something you only want to do once. Timeliness is incredibly important, and we need to work together to decide when that right time is. It would be a separate bill that would be largely H.R. 1041, but with the MPP inserted into it. … But that has to be done at the right time.”

While wheelchairs may provide many people with a means to move about, their locomotion is often confined by the limitations of the surrounding space. There are many changes that can be made to help increase mobility for those in a wheelchair and help make a place more wheelchair accessible.

Ramps

• Since wheelchairs are unable to go upstairs, ramps help make short staircases, such as the front steps of houses or other buildings, accessible to people in wheelchairs. The maximum slope for a ramp is 1:12, or 1 vertical feet for every 12 horizontal feet. However, the less steep the slope, the more accessible it is by wheelchair. Also, it is important to consider the material used to make a ramp. Materials such as concrete or aluminum can be less slippery and can more easily endure the harmful effects of weather.

Doorways

• In order to be accessible to those in a wheelchair, doorways must be at least 32 inches wide. Wider doorways are easier for people in wheelchairs, especially those who use their arms to propel themselves to wheel through. Revolving doors and turnstiles are not wheelchair accessible, so alternative entrances are necessary. Swinging doors can also be difficult to manage; pocket doors, if possible, can be an easy-to-use option. Door hardware, such as knobs and latches, also should be easy to grasp and use by those sitting in a wheelchair. With proper hardware and dimensions, those in wheelchairs can easily enter and fit through doorways.

Light-Switches and Other Controls

• People in wheelchairs are unable to reach the heights that are easily accessed by those who are not in wheelchairs. Light-switches, thermostats and other controls should be placed within the easy reach of people sitting in wheelchairs. Legally, such controls must be higher than 15 inches and lower than 48 inches.

Other Tips

• When making a space wheelchair accessible, it is important to consider many factors, including the layout and dimensions of buildings. Rooms such as bathrooms need special attention: toilets, sinks, mirrors, showers, tubs and special railings must all be modified to make them accessible to wheelchairs. Floor coverings are also important to think about. Bunched up carpets, rugs or bumpy surfaces are difficult to traverse by wheelchair. Instead, hard surfaces like tile, linoleum or well-maintained carpet are better for wheelchair accessibility.

Article written by: Lauren Griffin, eHow Contributor

Read more: Tips on Wheelchair Accessibility | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7614487_tips-wheelchair-accessibility.html#ixzz1j5YsG7kY

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, affects up to 10% of the adult population. An estimated 20 million people in the U.S. alone have OSA and many of them are unaware of their condition.

During sleep, our muscles relax. The muscles in our throat, however, maintain some tone to hold our airway open for us to breathe. For some people these muscles relax too much causing the airway to narrow slightly. Partial narrowing will often result in snoring – a vibration generated by the soft, floppy parts of the throat as air passes during breathing. However, sometimes the narrowing is more significant and causes a partial or complete reduction in airflow to the lungs.

When the airway is blocked OSA sufferers will wake either partially or completely to breathe again, although they are often unaware of this happening. This can occur up to several hundred times a night, causing severe disruption of their sleep and daytime sleepiness. Untreated OSA may also lead to road accidents and other serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

Symptoms of OSA

Do you snore? Does your bed-partner report breathing pauses during sleep? Are you a restless sleeper? Do you have morning headaches? If you answered “often” or “sometimes” to any of the before mention questions then you may suffer from OSA. Other common symptoms include waking with a choking sensation at night; wake feeling unrefreshed; excessive sleepiness during the day; poor memory or concentration.

Treating OSA with PAP Therapy

Positive airway pressure, or PAP, is the most common and effective treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

PAP treatment is administered through a mask that seals either the nose, mouth or both nose and mouth. The PAP unit supplies a gentle air pressure that splints the upper airway and allows the person to breather uninterrupted during sleep. The pressure is continuous and can be adjusted for the individual.

The user will experience almost immediate relief of symptoms with PAP treatment. To continue receiving these benefits PAP must be used during every sleep.

Source: Fisher and Paykel Brochure, “What would you do for a good night’s sleep?”

Left to right: Kurt Walker, Tom Dye, Congressman Jim Matheson, Jay Broadbent, Brent Gardner

On Tuesday this week, UTMED arranged for a visit from Congressman Jim Matheson to meet with members of the UTMED Board. UTMED Vice President Jay Broadbent from Alpine Home Medical and board members Kurt Walker from Mountain Valley Home Medical and Tom Dye from Oxygen-for-You were in attendance. Congressman Matheson has been very supportive of UTMED in signing on as a cosponsor of HR 1041 and clearly sees competitive bidding as ineffective as a cost saving tactic by the congress. He was also very interested in receiving examples from UTMED members of unreasonable audit requirements such as refusal to pay due to physician signatures outside the lines, etc. As a result, he is going to seek hearings on CMS audit practices and will use the examples to disclose their burdens on local DME companies.

Article written by Brent Gardner, Executive Director of UTMED

Friday, November 11, 2011

AAHomecare has long fought against Medicare fraud. The Association has worked with Congress and the Administration to implement a number of key components of its 13 point anti-fraud plan. Visit www.aahomecare.org/stopfraud to see the plan. Last year, AAHomecare supported H.R. 5546, introduced by Rep. Roskam, which would have improved the tools and resources available to prevent fraud and abuse in Medicare through the use of predictive modeling technologies.

The Association welcomes the opportunity to work with Rep. Roskam on this important bill as it moves through the legislative process.

Article written by AAHomecare.

This year Alpine is pleased to hold the title of “Best HME Provider” presented by the HME Excellence committee (HME News). The committee made their decision based on a variety of qualifications, including average annual rate of sales growth in the past two years, average pre-tax profit margin over the last three years, memberships, leadership positions, non-profit community involvement, and more. The award was announced at this year’s MedTrade conference, during “Power of Funding.”

HME News Article: 

Meet Alpine Home Medical Equipment, winner of the 2011 HME Excellence Awards for best HME provider. President Jay Broadbent says he’s had his share of successes–and failures–along the way.

Broadbent will share his failures, too. Like the time he signed up his team to exhibit at the Utah State Fair.

“It was 10 days straight, and we had to man it from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” he recalls. “We were pooped. We didn’t get a single sale from that thing.”

His willingness to risk failure originates in Broadbent’s business philosophy: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

That focus on growth has paid off–Broadbent estimates that Alpine Home Medical is growing about 40% a year and they’ve just secured a large state contract.

“It’s a big deal for us as a company,” he says. “We’re adding four more branches and close to 20 people to take on this contract.”

That’s in addition to Alpine Home Medical’s current 100 employees in seven branches throughout Utah. The 14-year-old full-service provider also has a retail store in most of its branches.

The company uses open book management, allowing all employees to look up its P&L statement at any time.

“It’s where can we do better? How can we reduce costs?” says Broadbent. I’m always amazed at the (providers) who don’t know their business, who don’t break down their financials every month and look at their strengths and weaknesses.”

Alpine Home Medical also emphasizes their role as a community partner, which is embodied by the comany’s B In Motion Foundation. It sponsors a yearly bicycle race to raise money to give wheelchairs to uninsured patients.

“It ties us back to our community,” Broadbent says. “We’re homegrown and that rings true in our market.”     -HME News