WASHINGTON – A letter signed by 19 members of Congress was sent to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure late on Monday asking her to stop the Medicare payment cuts to accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs that are set to go into effect July 1. The letter, circulated by Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., was signed by 18 members of the House of Representatives and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. “CMS has been reviewing the issues and our communication with them has been ongoing,” said Don Clayback, executive director of NCART in an email bulletin. “There are additional meetings scheduled with CMS this week as CRT stakeholder organizations collectively continue to work toward preventing these cuts that will take away access for people with disabilities who depend on CRT manual wheelchairs.” The letter asks Brooks-LaSure to extend an 18-month pause on competitive bidding pricing for accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs. These accessories have been temporarily exempted from bid pricing only through June 30. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on June 15 re-introduced legislation to ensure that breast cancer patients and survivors who have had a mastectomy are able to access custom breast prosthetics under Medicare. The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021 would provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses – which, unlike other prosthetic devices, aren’t covered by Medicare – to more than 100,000 women who undergo mastectomies annually, according to Essentially Women, a division of the VGM Group. “We can do so much more to help survivors of breast cancer return to health and achieve the best quality of life,” Duckworth said. “This bi-partisan legislation is an important step in continuing to expand health care coverage for women and achieving health equity for older women and women of color.” Duckworth and Murkowski were joined by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in introducing the legislation. Similar legislation introduced in the 116th Congress drew support from 4 co-sponsors.  

NEW YORK – Krishnakumar Rajagopalan has left Amazon, where he spent seven years building systems for retail, advertising and AWS, to join Tomorrow Health as head of engineering. Rajagopalan was part of teams at Amazon building e-commerce search engines, fulfillment systems, advertising systems and a new AWS AI service. “I have joined Tomorrow Health as the head of engineering where I will continue my journey as a builder – building systems that will improve the lives of millions of patients and their families,” he said. Aside from the impact of working for Tomorrow Health, Rajagopalan said he joined the company because of its technology challenges. “Our tech stack spans what one might expect from a tech-enabled marketplace, but with a health care twist,” he said. “We are building interfaces to medical systems, order workflows, fulfillment technology and data systems to track operations by the minute – all with a specialized focus on the clinic rules and routing technology that exists within health care. There is a lot of opportunity to work on real world problems and build systems to scale, with each workflow directly resulting in better care for a patient in need.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Rehab Medical has appointed Julie Klarich as director of employee development and engagement. She will lead the company’s enrichment initiatives, including the Your Better Self initiative launched in 2020. “Having a great company starts with having great employees,” said Kevin Gearheart, president. “We have invested a lot of time and energy coming up with some great initiatives geared toward employee development and engagement, and now we have someone who is a perfect fit to lead these initiatives.” Klarich has spent more than a decade providing professional development, organizational leadership and relationship management consulting. She was most recently director of affiliate relations at the Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and previously a consultant at Eli Lilly. Rehab Medical’s Your Better Self Program works to develop employee skills through various training programs, such as the Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) program, and mentorship programs dedicated to coaching new hires in the first six months.

BRISBANE, Australia – Oventus Medical says current data indicate that 60% of all patient referrals are coming direct-to-consumer from through two websites: gopapfree.com and o2vent.com. Additionally, the company says the number of telehealth consultations scheduled has increased 25% in the current quarter compared to the previous quarter. “Since Oventus launched its telehealth initiative as a result of COVID-19, the patient funnel has captured more than 2,000 patients,” the company stated in an update. “This growing database of interested patients looking to access Oventus Airway Technology informs the company’s marketing strategy and underpins future growth. As this program matures over the coming months and digital assets are redeveloped with improved visibility on conversion rates and customer acquisition costs, the return on investment into this channel will become more predictable and investment into this channel can be prioritized to accelerate sales growth.” Oventus also announced that Sleep Clinic Services in Brisbane has signed on to the company’s virtual lab-in-lab program. Under the agreement, Sleep Clinic Services will market and distribute O2Vent therapy to patients through the program. 

YARMOUTH, Maine – HME providers had far more questions than answers as they scrambled to field patient inquiries and craft game plans in the days following the news of a voluntary recall of Philips’ first generation DreamStation CPAP devices. Philips announced the recall on June 14 to address identified potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane sound abatement foam component in certain Bi-Level, CPAP and mechanical ventilator devices. “We’re doing a lot of talking right now, discussing how to move forward not knowing what we don’t know,” said Tyler Riddle, president of MRS Homecare in Georgia. “We’re communicating with physician referrals and sleep labs, but as far as going after affected customers, we haven’t begun that yet because we don’t know how to accommodate them.” Philips says it has begun preparations, including obtaining the relevant regulatory clearances, to replace the current foam with a new material, but at press time, the company hadn’t yet announced those clearances. Philips has launched a website specifically for the recall, www.philips.com/src-update, where providers can get more information and register affected units. As part of the announcement, Philips advised Bi-Level and CPAP patients to discontinue using affected devices and work with their physicians or HME providers to determine the most appropriate options for continued treatment. The first call should be to physicians, providers say. “We have asked them to stop telling patients to go to their DME, as we do not feel we should be guiding medical care and the physician should do that,” said Eric Mongeau, national sales director of sleep and respiratory for Aeroflow in North Carolina. “We’ve put up a voice recording on our phone system that tells patients, if they are calling about the recall, we recommend you speak to your physician. Everybody’s in the dark.” In addition to updating their phone systems, providers have updated their websites with important links from Philips. O’Neal Medical has also provided potential options to affected patients, such as receiving a replacement machine or, if they’re not a customer, privately purchasing or renting-to-own a device. “We’re also getting inquiries from people using (devices made by other manufacturers),” said Woody O’Neal, vice president. “This creates concerns in the consumer’s mind. It’s a fair question.” Although Philips provided a glimpse of the problem during an April earnings call, in which CEO Frans van Houten said the company was “proactively” working to address a possible safety concern, providers say the scope of the issue is probably far greater than anyone originally thought. Just performing repairs on that many devices – a reported 3 million to 4 million – is overwhelming. “When I ran a report of affected DreamStation units, we had 6,800,” said Riddle. Then there are the more general impacts on an already stressed supply chain for CPAP devices, not only for Philips but also for other manufacturers, providers say.  “ResMed is telling us that we are going to get our current order, but no more until after July 5th or 6th,” said George Kucka, president of Fairmeadows Home Health in Indiana. “We will be taken care of as a longtime customer, but new people will have to stand in line and will probably go to an allocation system.” Still other concerns include the impact on patient compliance rates and the potential ripple effect throughout the health care industry as word spreads. Riddle said one of his customer service reps was asked by a payer what CPAP machine she was seeking an authorization for.  “The rep said they are not giving auths on affected units right now,” he said.

PETERSBOROUGH, N.H. – SoClean is standing by its CPAP cleaning device, after Philips said “unapproved cleaning methods, such as ozone,” may be exacerbating the degradation of sound abatement foam in its first-generation DreamStation product family.  Philips made the claim as part of a voluntary recall announced June 14 to address identified potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane foam in certain Bi-Level CPAP, CPAP and mechanical ventilator devices.  “Almost all the machines affected by this recall have no connection to an ozone cleaning device,” the company said in a statement. “SoClean stands behind its product and its use. SoClean will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as needed.” Philips says potential health risks include that the foam may degrade into particles that may enter the device’s air pathway and be ingested or inhaled by the user, and the foam may off-gas certain chemicals. SoClean points out that, based on its market share data and the number of installed CPAP devices, the large majority of patients do not use the company’s cleaning device. “While SoClean would love for all CPAP users to use a cleaning device, nearly 80% of all CPAP users do not,” the company said. “Philips also notes that high heat and humidity environments may contribute to foam degradation.”  Additionally, SoClean points out the recall also impacts certain vents, and SoClean does not make a cleaning device for vents. “Clearly this recall, by Philips’ own admission, was not precipitated due to the use of cleaning devices,” the company said. It’s not the first time SoClean and Philips have crossed paths over the use of ozone to clean CPAP devices. In early 2020, Philips said in a letter responding to a customer’s request for written guidance on the use of CPAP cleaning devices that using SoClean on its DreamStation would not automatically void the warranty, but that the company “reserved the right to void a warranty if it is determined that the use of SoClean caused a defect for which a device otherwise under warranty was returned.” Kyle Miko, vice president and chief marketing officer for VirtuOx, says Philips’ comments about the use of ozone do not apply to the company’s CPAP cleaning device, because its device does not attach to the CPAP. PJ Ruflin, vice president of business development for Sunset Healthcare Solutions, which launched a CPAP cleaning device last year, says the company is “listening to customers to ensure we understand the situation as best as possible and are doing what we can to assist them in managing it.” Jackson Buchanon, director of business development for Sleep8, says its cleaning device does not flow ozone over the foam in the CPAP. “We have been in contact with all of our DME partners and are focused on supporting them as they navigate this challenge.”Responsive Respiratory Inc. says its Purify O3 and Purify O3 Elite are designed for disinfecting and deodorizing accessories like masks, tubing and humidification chambers and not CPAP devices. “This recall does not correlate to RRI’s family of Purify O3 devices,” it says. 

YARMOUTH, Maine – A whopping 90% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say they’re having difficulty hiring employees, an issue that’s exacerbated by existing struggles with low reimbursement. The largest percentage of respondents (72%) reported they’re having the most difficulty hiring entry level employees like customer service representatives. “With cuts in reimbursement over the years, compounded with massive audits and recoupments, there is not enough margin to hire quality employees at a competitive rate,” wrote one respondent. “As a result, to remain viable, we are having to move administrative work overseas. This industry is headed toward a collapse based on current reimbursement rates – it is not enough to pay for all the materials, equipment and staffing necessary to remain viable. The lowering reimbursement from Medicare and increasing audit activity is effectively forcing the loss of U.S. jobs in this industry.” HME companies aren’t alone, of course. Overall, there are about 3.5 million fewer people in the workforce today than there were in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and new unemployment benefits were introduced. After entry level employees, respondents reported having the most difficulty hiring clinical staff (21%). A number of respondents noted a shortage of respiratory therapists, in particular. “RTs are leaving for short-termed, incentivized opportunities in other health care settings: hospitals, traveling jobs and physician offices,” wrote Dewey Roof of LifeHME in South Carolina. To improve their odds of hiring employees, 49% of respondents reported that they’ve increased pay, on average, 13.8%. “The labor ‘shortage’ is a supply and demand issue,” wrote on respondent. “The supply of labor is inelastic, but demand is high – that should lead, in an open market, to (wages) rising, which is exactly what we’re seeing. Businesses are having to pay their workers more, instead of complaining that they can’t find workers at artificially low wages. Our business offers competitive wages and good benefits, and we have zero problems finding employees.” Depending on a company’s business model, however, offering higher wages is a struggle, leading to a number of respondents reporting increased hours for existing staff and, often, management and ownership. “We, as a company, have pulled up our bootstraps and taken on more responsibility,” wrote Josh Miller of Transcend Medical in Alabama. “Even as an owner, I will do deliveries/service calls/pickups or other tasks as needed to help my employees and get the job done.” States that opt out of federal unemployment benefits related to the pandemic are doing companies that are looking to hire a favor, a number of respondents reported. “We are in dire need of employees and can’t even get applicants,” wrote one respondent. “The feedback I get from employees is that their friends are making more on unemployment during the pandemic and don’t plan to return as long as they’re receiving that money.” 

DARIEN, Ill. – A recent draft report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that says studies mostly do not support long-term benefits of CPAP therapy on cardiovascular and other health outcomes has sleep professionals “up in arms,” says Dr. Susheel Patil, chair of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  “The sleep community is not clear on what the motivation for the report is,” he says. “I think the question becomes whether the AHRQ realizes the implications of what the report might do in terms of other stakeholders that are less nuanced about science.” The AASM spearheaded comments to the report from a coalition of organizations, including the American Thoracic Society, the American Association for Respiratory Care and the Sleep Research Society. Patil spoke with HME News recently about the possible repercussions of the report on policy by government and commercials payers. HME News: What’s your general take on the AHRQ draft report? Dr. Susheel Patil: It sounds as if the report is suggesting that there is no benefit whatsoever for obstructive sleep apnea or that the evidence is weak. However, I don’t know if that was the intent. The strong concern is the almost complete absence of acknowledgement of the effectiveness in treating OSA with CPAP to improve excessive sleepiness, which is a significant long-term outcome valued by patients and providers. While the evidence may not be there for cardiovascular events, for sleepiness, that message needs to come through.  HME: Are you concerned that a report like this could have a detrimental effect on sleep policy? Patil: I think (it’s a concern) how this might influence third-party payers and government payers that are setting policies. They could revisit the national coverage determination for sleep apnea, for instance. But I’m an optimist. There have been other reports that have come through and no actions have resulted. HME: Do you feel the AHRQ raises any good points in the report? Patil: I take their point to heart in the sense that the sleep community, in terms of research, still has a lot to do to establish key relationships between treating OSA and preventing cardiovascular events, and this is a call to action to the community and to government funding agencies to help us do this by funding (research). HME: In the comments, you state that the AHRQ makes a case for future research on the long-term benefit of CPAP therapy but that the recommendations are incomplete. Can you explain? Patil: It’s helpful they thought about the future direction of research but there could have been greater specificity in terms of what the roadmap to that looks like. Having a partnership with the sleep research community would be beneficial. 

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Luke McGee has resigned from his positions as co-CEO and director of the board of AdaptHealth, and Stephen Griggs has been named CEO effective immediately. Griggs, who is also a member of the board, joined AdaptHealth in February as co-CEO following the company’s acquisition of AeroCare Holdings, which he founded and led as president and CEO. “Steve’s extensive management experience, along with health sector expertise and a proven record building high-growth companies, has already been instrumental in bolstering AdaptHealth’s growth trajectory,” said Richard Barasch, chair of the board. “The board has complete confidence in his ability to lead the company to even greater success as CEO.” McGee was placed on unpaid leave in April after authorities in Denmark formally charged him with alleged tax fraud. A special committee of independent directors, established by the board, had retained DLA Piper, an independent law firm, to conduct an investigation into any connection between McGee’s private activities and AdaptHealth. The firm reported to the committee on June 11 that its investigation is substantially complete and that it could state with a high degree of confidence that the company had no involvement in, or connection to, McGee’s alleged conduct. Griggs said he looks forward to leading AdaptHealth with “some of the best management talent in the business,” including President Josh Parnes, CFO Jason Clemens and others. “AdaptHealth has never been stronger and with the integration of AeroCare firmly on course, we can focus our full attention on delivering strong organic growth in our core business, enhancing our role in chronic disease management and deploying capital on strategic M&A opportunities,” he said. CRT and accessories: Stakeholders call for immediate action WASHINGTON – Stakeholders seek signatures for a fast-moving sign-on letter in the House of Representatives to protect access to accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs. The letter, which asks CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to extend an 18-month pause on competitive bidding pricing for these accessories, closes June 21. “Please email the individual who handles health care issues with your representative’s office,” AAHomecare stated in a bulletin. “Please add any perspectives from your work serving CRT wheelchair users.” Accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs have been temporarily exempted from bid pricing only until July 1. NCART has provided pre-written emails at www.protectmobility.org. The emails ask members to urge CMS leadership to take action before June to stop the cuts and avoid access consequences for people with disabilities who depend on CRT manual wheelchairs. The letter is being circulated by Rep. John Larson, D-Conn. Humana buys another home care provider onehome, Kindred at Home will allow insurance giant to more effectively deliver value-based care, it says LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Humana has signed a definitive agreement to acquire onehome, a provider of a variety of home-based services, from WayPoint Capital Partners. onehome has been operating a value-based model in Florida and Texas, and has served Humana members since 2015. “At Humana, we are implementing a strategy to build a new value-based home health model that will improve patient outcomes, increase satisfaction for patients and providers, and provide greater value for health plan partners,” said Susan Diamond, segment president for Humana’s Home Business and the company’s interest CFO. “The acquisition of onehome is a key component of that strategy.” News of the deal follows Humana’s announcement to fully acquire and integrate Kindred at Home, a home care provider with more than 775 locations across 40 states. The addition of onehome will enable Humana to more effectively deliver value-based home health at a national scale by providing a number of key capabilities, including: onehome has significant experience with risk-based contracting and has fully capitated models in place in Florida and Texas that will provide valuable insights for the expansion of similar contracting in other states. onehome has developed fully dedicated network management and utilization management systems that can create greater efficiencies for the administration of in-home patient visits. onehome owns and manages home-based DME and infusion services for members in its core geographies that can be expanded to other markets and deliver more simplified coordination of these services for patients and providers. onehome’s ownership of DME services can deliver greater value and better outcomes through reduced waste and more consistent equipment utilization by members. “Since first launching onehome in 2013, we have had a front row seat at the care-in-the-home revolution that is driven by our society’s desire to positively impact clinical outcomes, affordability and patient experience," said Ramon Falero, CEO and co-founder of onehome. "We built the onehome model with a focus on integrating all key home-based patient care delivery needs with risk-taking capabilities and robust technology. We have had the privilege of serving millions of patients with this model – the need for which has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.”  Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, were not disclosed. Judge dismisses home infusion lawsuit ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A U.S. district court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the National Home Infusion Association over the implementation of a Medicare home infusion therapy services benefit for a “lack of subject matter jurisdiction.” The lawsuit, filed in 2019 against the Department of Health and Human Services, argued that a final rule published in November 2018 that limits reimbursement for professional services to only those days a “skilled professional is in the home,” ignores congressional intent.  Judge Timothy J. Kelly dismissed the case on the grounds that the court’s jurisdiction over Medicare is limited and that, in most cases, challengers must complete HHS’s four-step appeal and review process prior to filing with the court, according to NHIA. The association countered that the multi-year administrative process would have been futile considering the two-year duration of the benefit. “It’s frustrating and disappointing that this case was dismissed on a technicality and not considered on its merits,” said Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, NHIA’s CEO. “We still believe that CMS’s implementation is inconsistent with Congress’ intent and over the past two years, we have seen—and documented—how the agency’s actions have negatively impacted patient access to home infusion therapy. This ruling reaffirms the need for Congress to enact clarifying legislation.” New research links untreated OSA, COVID-19 infections SAN DIEGO – People with untreated obstructive sleep apnea were associated with a higher rate of COVID-19 infection than those who received PAP treatment, according to a poster presented by ResMed and Kaiser Permanente during SLEEP 2021, which was held virtually June 10-13. The data showed a dose-response association of OSA severity on infection rate: Patients with untreated mild OSA had a COVID-19 infection rate of 2%, while patients with severe untreated OSA had a COVID-19 infection rate of 2.4%. Bother rates were significantly higher than those treated with PAP at 1.14%. “These findings demonstrate the critical importance for people with OSA to receive and stay on PAP therapy,” said Carlos Nunez, M.D., ResMed’s chief medical officer. “In addition to COVID-19, OSA can increase a person’s risk for an array of chronic diseases, so it’s necessary for health care providers to educate patients on the importance of proper CPAP use so they can get optimal sleep, which may help keep their immune systems healthy.” The data also showed that patients who engaged in PAP therapy with good adherence had even lower COVID-19 infection rates than patients without OSA (1.3% vs. 1.7%, respectively). The study, which was conducted by a team of investigators from Kaiser Permanente and led by pulmonologist Dr. Dennis Hwang, collected data on nearly 82,000 patients in the U.S. who were evaluated for sleep disorders at Kaiser Permanente’s southern California sleep clinic between 2015-20. Of those, 1,493 tested positive for COVID-19 infection. The data collected included electronic health records and sleep study findings, as well as data collected remotely on PAP therapy. HHS updates guidance on Provider Relief Fund reporting WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services last week updated guidance on Provider Relief Fund reporting, including that the PRF Reporting Portal will be open for providers to submit information on July 1. Other key updates in the revised “Post-Payment Notice of Reporting Requirements,” according to VGM Government Relations: The period of availability of funds is based on the date the payment is received. Previous guidance indicated that all payments be used by June 30, 2021, regardless of when they were received. Recipients are required to submit a report for each Payment Received Period in which they received one or more payments exceeding, in the aggregate, $10,000, rather than $10,000 cumulatively across all PRF payments. Recipients will have a 90-day period to complete reporting, rather than a 30-day reporting period). The reporting requirements are now applicable to recipients of the Skilled Nursing Facility and Nursing Home Infection Control Distribution in addition to General and other Targeted Distributions. VGM says updated guidance also includes helpful tablesdetailing thedeadline to use the funds, the deadline to report on the use of the funds, andthe timing of payment received date and corresponding reporting time period. Virtis Health expands footprint NASHUA, N.H. – Virtis Health, a provider of alternate site infusion services, has expanded into five states, with an eye toward expanding nationwide. Virtis now has infusion center locations in Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Texas, offering a range of therapies for patients with autoimmune disorders, including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis.  “Now more than ever, patients are embracing alternate health care sites where quality care is delivered in a comfortable, personalized setting,” said Diego Fairbanks, senior vice president. “We are bringing patients, physicians, health systems and health insurance plans a highly relevant solution to accommodate today’s evolving healthcare needs.” Virtis also treats and manages patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases, primary immunodeficiencies and various inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. New hires: Team@Work, NCPA Team@Work has hired Rebecca Small as vice president of DME/HME business development. Small has 15 years of experience in health care sales, marketing and billing. “Becky possesses more than two decades of extensive medical equipment and device sales, billing, orthotic fitter and business owner experience,” said Ty Bello, CEO. “She brings a unique business development acumen to the medical equipment provider and those exploring business opportunities in this post-acute market”…The National Community Pharmacists Association has named Matthew Seiler, RN, as the association’s general counsel. In this role Seiler will have responsibility for all legal, transactional, compliance and related activities at NCPA. Most recently, he served as the general counsel of the American Physical Therapy Association. “Matt brings to NCPA a strong background across industries, including in health care law, that will be instrumental as we continue our multi-front efforts to serve independent pharmacists, change the pharmacy payment model and rein in pharmacy benefit managers,” says B. Douglas Hoey, CEO and pharmacist. NRRTS sponsors photo contest LUBBOCK, Texas - NRRTS asking complex rehab suppliers to take photos of themselves and their clients doing what they do and send them to the organization. As part of the digital photo contest, NRRTS will award prizes to one winner in each of three different categories. Each winner will receive a $100 gift certificate and a poster of their winning photograph for them and their client. NRRTS asks that suppliers make sure they get photo releases from their clients. Contact Bill Noelting for more information: bnoelting@nrrts.org.   AASM names new president DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has named Dr. Raman Malhotra to a one-year term as president. He will lead the association’s 11,000 accredited member sleep centers and individual members, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who provide care for patients with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and chronic insomnia. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead the AASM, and I am grateful to serve alongside such dedicated and talented colleagues on the board of directors,” said Malhotra, who has served on the AASM board of directors since 2015. “I’m excited about the year ahead, and I believe that we will make great progress as we work together with our members to continue advancing sleep care and enhancing sleep health to improve lives.” One of Malhotra’s priorities will be to give patients a greater voice within AASM by leading a new Patient Advocacy Roundtable. Apria offering raises nearly $140M INDIANAPOLIS – Apria has raised more than $139.7 million through a secondary offering of 5,175,000 shares of common stock by a selling stockholder affiliated with Blackstone at a price to the public of $27 per share, including 675,000 shares sold in connection with the full exercise of the option to purchase additional shares granted to the underwriters. Apria did not offer any shares of its common stock and did not receive any net proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling stockholder. NSM expands team in Canada NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility Canada has added two new members to its team: Dheyaa Qaddo as controller and Eugene Fung as HR and payroll manager. Previously, the company named Dave Munroe director of finance and Rick Nori regional director of Canada. “Expanding our business team with the addition of these respected professionals is crucially important in supporting NSM’s continued growth across Canada,” Nori said. “The knowledge and experience Dave, Dheyaa and Eugene bring to our team will strengthen operations and our ability to provide best-in-class service to our Canadian clients.” Qaddo is responsible for the oversight of accounts payable activities, cash and treasury management, financial accounting and reporting, budgeting, forecasting, taxation and compliance. Fung is responsible for managing the HR team in Canada and overseeing strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition, employee relations, training and development, payroll and benefits. NSM is looking for talent for a variety of other roles in Canada, including rehab equipment professionals and customer service representatives. Itamar enhances WatchPAT CAESAREA, Israel – Itamar Medical has enhanced its WatchPAT product line to include WatchPAT with SleepPath, a new service that allows subjective data to be collected from patients through the WatchPAT smartphone app, before and after the home sleep test. The company will offer the new service to sleep clinics, giving them access to digital documentation in one report that combines sleep study metrics and patient self-reported data, replacing traditional paper documentation. Itamar Medical has also enhanced the line with WatchPAT ONE-M to allow sleep physicians to order multi-night test and follow-up with their patients after each night of testing to determine if further testing would be beneficial. “These product enhancements reflect our commitment to continuous improvement of the sleep patient pathway by leveraging Itamar’s digital health platform to deliver increased home sleep testing efficiency, broader information access beyond the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) and improving the quality of sleep clinics’ operations around home sleep diagnostics,” said Gilad Glick, president and CEO. Both enhancements were announced during SLEEP 2021, a joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society that took place virtually June 10-13. Welcome to the board: AAH, Viemed, NHIF AAHomecare’s membership has re-elected Bill Guidetti of Apria as chair of the board and has approved Josh Marx of Medicare Service Company as vice chair and Mike Kloos of VGM Insurance as treasurer. Members also elected six people to at-large board seats for three-year terms: Josh Britten of BritKare Home Medical, Lucy Busa of Comfort Medical, Larissa D’Andrea of ResMed, Jennifer Pederson of Lincare, Isaac Rodriguez of National Seating & Mobility, and James Russell of URS Medical. Busa is new to the board; the others were re-nominated to continue their service. Additionally, John Cassar of SuperCare Health has joined the board and executive committee through his role as chair of the Corporate Provider CEO Council…Viemed Healthcare elected eight members to its board of directors during its annual and special meeting of shareholders on June 10: Casey Hoyt, W. Todd Zehnder, William Frazier, Randy Dobbs, Nitin Kaushal, Timothy Smokoff, Bruce Greenstein and Sabrina Heltz...The National Home Infusion Foundation has announced its 2021-2022 board of directors. Joining the board this year: Laila Alqadri, MD, a neurologist and medical director at KabaFusion; Drew Doyle, RPh, senior vice president of sales and market development for Soleo Health; and Mitra Gavgani, PharmD, vice president of Pharmacy Services for Johns Hopkins Home Care Group. Other board members are: Chair Chris Maksym, RPh, PharmD, University of Michigan (ret.); David Franklin, MSA, Advanced Care Consulting Services; Dave Grady, Big Sky IV Care; and Janice Wilhelm, RN, MBA, Advanced Home Care. State news: Oklahoma, Louisiana, New York The Oklahoma Health Care Authority does not have the authority to implement a managed care plan for the state’s Medicaid system, according to a State Supreme Court ruling. The ruling was cheered by the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association and other health care providers who have been fighting the proposed move in the state legislature and in the courts. “OMEPA and other health care leaders in Oklahoma have done an exceptional job in spotlighting the potential impacts of the MCO approach on both providers and patients,” said Laura Williard, AAHomecare’s vice president of payer relations. “I’d especially like to acknowledge the persistence of OMEPA President Larry Dalton, Victor Clay of Complete Care Medical and Katie Roberts of Cimarron Medical Services in this fight”…The Louisiana Senate has passed HB 594, a bill that would require insurers, MCOs and other payers to reimburse for ventilators on a continuous monthly rental basis and not cap payments at purchase price. The bill now goes to Gov. John Bel Edwards for his signature…The New York Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee has approved A.5368, a bill that would require Medicaid MCOs to reimburse DME providers at no less than 100% of the state’s published Medicaid DME and CRT fee schedule. The bill now goes to the Rules Committee before heading to the floor for a vote. A companion bill, S.5118, is also eligible for a vote.

WASHINGTON – Stakeholders seek signatures for a fast-moving sign-on letter in the House of Representatives to protect access to accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs. The letter, which asks CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to extend an 18-month pause on competitive bidding pricing for these accessories, closes June 21. “Please email the individual who handles health care issues with your representative’s office,” AAHomecare stated in a bulletin. “Please add any perspectives from your work serving CRT wheelchair users.” Accessories for complex rehab manual wheelchairs have been temporarily exempted from bid pricing only until July 1. NCART has provided pre-written emails at www.protectmobility.org. The emails ask members to urge CMS leadership to take action before June to stop the cuts and avoid access consequences for people with disabilities who depend on CRT manual wheelchairs. The letter is being circulated by Rep. John Larson, D-Conn. 

Team@Work has hired Rebecca Small as vice president of DME/HME business development. Small has 15 years of experience in health care sales, marketing and billing. “Becky possesses more than two decades of extensive medical equipment and device sales, billing, orthotic fitter and business owner experience,” said Ty Bello, CEO. “She brings a unique business development acumen to the medical equipment provider and those exploring business opportunities in this post-acute market”…The National Community Pharmacists Association has named Matthew Seiler, RN, as the association’s general counsel. In this role Seiler will have responsibility for all legal, transactional, compliance and related activities at NCPA. Most recently, he served as the general counsel of the American Physical Therapy Association. “Matt brings to NCPA a strong background across industries, including in health care law, that will be instrumental as we continue our multi-front efforts to serve independent pharmacists, change the pharmacy payment model and rein in pharmacy benefit managers,” says B. Douglas Hoey, CEO and pharmacist.

LUBBOCK, Texas - NRRTS asking complex rehab suppliers to take photos of themselves and their clients doing what they do and send them to the organization. As part of the digital photo contest, NRRTS will award prizes to one winner in each of three different categories. Each winner will receive a $100 gift certificate and a poster of their winning photograph for them and their client. NRRTS asks that suppliers make sure they get photo releases from their clients. Contact Bill Noelting for more information: bnoelting@nrrts.org.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A U.S. district court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the National Home Infusion Association over the implementation of a Medicare home infusion therapy services benefit for a “lack of subject matter jurisdiction.” The lawsuit, filed in 2019 against the Department of Health and Human Services, argued that a final rule published in November 2018 that limits reimbursement for professional services to only those days a “skilled professional is in the home,” ignores congressional intent.  Judge Timothy J. Kelly dismissed the case on the grounds that the court’s jurisdiction over Medicare is limited and that, in most cases, challengers must complete HHS’s four-step appeal and review process prior to filing with the court, according to NHIA. The association countered that the multi-year administrative process would have been futile considering the two-year duration of the benefit. “It’s frustrating and disappointing that this case was dismissed on a technicality and not considered on its merits,” said Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, NHIA’s CEO. “We still believe that CMS’s implementation is inconsistent with Congress’ intent and over the past two years, we have seen—and documented—how the agency’s actions have negatively impacted patient access to home infusion therapy. This ruling reaffirms the need for Congress to enact clarifying legislation.” 

During an intro call in June, two speakers for this year’s HME News Business Summit said they preferred to have our prep call as close as possible to the event because the rate of change in health care right now is so fast. They said, there are things that will happen in the next few months that we can’t talk about now but that we’ll want to talk about at the event. So, we scheduled another call for early September.When I look at the education program for this year’s Summit, which we’ll hold virtually Sept. 9-10, this anecdote perfectly sums it up. So much is changing, so fast.The two speakers above, Gary Sheehan of AdaptHealth and Nathan Ray of West Monroe, will be dis-cussing, among other things, big players like Amazon, CVS Health and Best Buy driving change in health care. What these players do sends ripples – potentially tsunamis – throughout the entire space, including home care, and all eyes are on them.Possibly even more so, all eyes are also on the changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for every facet of health care and, as a result, decision makers across the continuum of care are stepping on the gas on certain efforts. In one session, Medically Home’s Rami Karjian will discuss how health systems like Mayo Clinic and Kai-ser Permanente are stepping on the gas on hospitals-at-home, in the wake of the pandemic forcing so much care to take place there, and how he believes HME providers are at the leading edge of this movement with their presence in the community and their logistics expertise.In another session, Polsinelli’s Jeanna Palmer Gunville will discuss how health care providers and insurers are stepping on the gas on strategic, value-based arrangements as a way to improve outcomes and control costs, in the wake of the pandemic exposing the vulnerability and unsustainability of fee-for-service.This is all the change swirling all around HME providers. But what about HME providers themselves? How will they drive change in response?That’s what the Summit is all about. Learning. Questioning. Then changing.“See” you there.

DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has named Dr. Raman Malhotra to a one-year term as president. He will lead the association’s 11,000 accredited member sleep centers and individual members, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who provide care for patients with sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and chronic insomnia. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead the AASM, and I am grateful to serve alongside such dedicated and talented colleagues on the board of directors,” said Malhotra, who has served on the AASM board of directors since 2015. “I’m excited about the year ahead, and I believe that we will make great progress as we work together with our members to continue advancing sleep care and enhancing sleep health to improve lives.” One of Malhotra’s priorities will be to give patients a greater voice within AASM by leading a new Patient Advocacy Roundtable.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Home Infusion Foundation has announced its 2021-2022 board of directors. Joining the board this year: Laila Alqadri, MD, a neurologist and medical director at KabaFusion; Drew Doyle, RPh, senior vice president of sales and market development for Soleo Health; and Mitra Gavgani, PharmD, vice president of Pharmacy Services for Johns Hopkins Home Care Group. Other board members are: Chair Chris Maksym, RPh, PharmD, University of Michigan (ret.); David Franklin, MSA, Advanced Care Consulting Services; Dave Grady, Big Sky IV Care; and Janice Wilhelm, RN, MBA, Advanced Home Care.

NASHUA, N.H. – Virtis Health, a provider of alternate site infusion services, has expanded into five states, with an eye toward expanding nationwide. Virtis now has infusion center locations in Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Texas, offering a range of therapies for patients with autoimmune disorders, including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis.  “Now more than ever, patients are embracing alternate health care sites where quality care is delivered in a comfortable, personalized setting,” said Diego Fairbanks, senior vice president. “We are bringing patients, physicians, health systems and health insurance plans a highly relevant solution to accommodate today’s evolving healthcare needs.” Virtis also treats and manages patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases, primary immunodeficiencies and various inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Seating & Mobility Canada has added two new members to its team: Dheyaa Qaddo as controller and Eugene Fung as HR and payroll manager. Previously, the company named Dave Munroe director of finance and Rick Nori regional director of Canada. “Expanding our business team with the addition of these respected professionals is crucially important in supporting NSM’s continued growth across Canada,” Nori said. “The knowledge and experience Dave, Dheyaa and Eugene bring to our team will strengthen operations and our ability to provide best-in-class service to our Canadian clients.” Qaddo is responsible for the oversight of accounts payable activities, cash and treasury management, financial accounting and reporting, budgeting, forecasting, taxation and compliance. Fung is responsible for managing the HR team in Canada and overseeing strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition, employee relations, training and development, payroll and benefits. NSM is looking for talent for a variety of other roles in Canada, including rehab equipment professionals and customer service representatives.  

CAESAREA, Israel – Itamar Medical has enhanced its WatchPAT product line to include WatchPAT with SleepPath, a new service that allows subjective data to be collected from patients through the WatchPAT smartphone app, before and after the home sleep test. The company will offer the new service to sleep clinics, giving them access to digital documentation in one report that combines sleep study metrics and patient self-reported data, replacing traditional paper documentation. Itamar Medical has also enhanced the line with WatchPAT ONE-M to allow sleep physicians to order multi-night test and follow-up with their patients after each night of testing to determine if further testing would be beneficial. “These product enhancements reflect our commitment to continuous improvement of the sleep patient pathway by leveraging Itamar’s digital health platform to deliver increased home sleep testing efficiency, broader information access beyond the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) and improving the quality of sleep clinics’ operations around home sleep diagnostics,” said Gilad Glick, president and CEO. Both enhancements were announced during SLEEP 2021, a joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society that took place virtually June 10-13.