HME News in 10

Andrea Stark on the oxygen NCD’s ripple effects

Today’s guest is Andrea Stark, the founder and head of reimbursement at MiraVista LLC. Andrea joins HME News in 10 to talk about the biggest development in the HME industry in 2021: a new national coverage determination for home oxygen therapy that expands coverage to acute conditions and cluster headaches, and eliminates the CMN requirement. “We haven’t experienced a coverage expansion like this in recent history,” she says. Listen to find out how the new NCD has ripple effects on a provider’s operational and compliance procedures and why it should give providers “a lot more confidence” when it comes to audits.

Host:
Liz Beaulieu

Guest:
Andrea Stark

Jonathan Sadock on the industry’s ‘essential services’

Hear Jonathan Sadock talk about how the momentum for M&A in HME is the strongest it has been since 2011, when Medicare launched its competitive bidding program. He says well-established, profitable and contractually strong HME companies stand to benefit in an M&A market where demand for their “essential services” is at an all-time high. Find out how he describes the M&A market in one word, what he sees as the biggest deal this year and more.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest
Jonathan Sadock

Theresa Flaherty on Medtrade East

Today’s guest is Theresa Flaherty, managing editor of HME News, who is recently back from Medtrade East. Theresa talks about: What it was like to re-connect in Atlanta, the industry’s “home base”; why supply chain constraints, not competitive bidding, are the industry’s top concern; and how young blood and fresh ideas are reinvigorating HME.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest
Theresa Flaherty

Linda Rouse O’Neill and the $10M question

Linda Rouse O’Neill, vice president of supply chain policy and executive branch relations for the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA), talks about “creative partnerships” between distributors and providers to increase inventories and identify substitutions in the face of difficult and prolonged supply chain constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks about how we got here – “That is a $10 million question right there” – and just how bad it is. “When you think about COVID and (the bottlenecks at) our West Coast ports – the social distancing and protocols and illness with workers – they’re struggling like every industry to balance all of that and make sure people are working, so that’s really made transportation a health care issue at this point,” she says. “I think we can all agree that we need to move those health care products in an expedited way.” 

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Linda Rouse O’Neill

Kris Srinivasan on defining HME’s value

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by McKesson. 

Our guest is Kris Srinivasan, director of payer relations for the company. He talks about how McKesson can help HME providers bring value to the health care continuum with its focus on speaking with a unified voice and improving patient outcomes. For more information on McKesson, go to mms.mckesson.com.

Host:
Liz Beaulieu

Guest:
Kris Srinivasan

Theresa Flaherty live from Medtrade West

Theresa Flaherty, managing editor of HME News, joins us from Medtrade West to talk about the vibe at the HME industry’s first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic – lots of “warm feelings,” she says – and the biggest buzzwords – competitive bidding and telehealth. Mostly, attendees at the show just wanted to keep “learning and moving and growing,” she says. 

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Theresa Flaherty

Josh Marx on evolution

When he was assembling commodes and shipping adult diapers in the Medical Service Company warehouse as a kid, Josh Marx didn’t think HME would be his profession or his passion. But like MSC’s business, Marx’s views of the industry have evolved and now he finds himself in a leadership position not only at the company but also at AAHomecare. Hear why Marx wants to “pack the field” with HME advocates and why he wants to push for alternate payment models that recognize the industry’s “global care management” capabilities. “There’s a lot of evolution we’ve seen and there’s a lot more that’s required,” he says.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Josh Marx

Miriam Lieber on how HME providers are excellent

Miriam Lieber, one of three judges for this year’s HME Excellence Awards, talks about her process for helping to select the HME Provider of the Year. Hear how Lieber, president of Lieber Consulting LLC, looks for a “distinguishing trait” in every application she reviews – whether it’s committed community involvement, dramatic financial improvement or a dynamic website – and why she thinks providers need to celebrate and maximize their excellence.

HME providers can apply to be the HME Provider of the Year at http://www.hmeexcellenceawards.com/apply.php. The deadline is June 30.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Miriam Lieber

Russ Johannesson on setting the pace in digital health

Russ Johannesson, CEO of Glooko, says innovation is in the company’s DNA. “Our innovation mandate comes from a desire to truly understand our users’ needs,” he said. “We think it’s our responsibility to continue to innovate.” Hear how that commitment to innovation helped Glooko raise $30 million in funding and allows the company to stay ahead of the curve in today’s fast-moving digital health marketplace.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Russ Johannesson

Regina Gillispie on being best friends with health LAs

Regina Gillispie, the president and owner of Best Home Medical in Barboursville, W.Va., talks about why she prioritizes making her voice heard in Washington, D.C., whether it’s by visiting Capitol Hill every year or tweeting about the reimbursement pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. “I try to be respectful,” she says, “but you need to stay in front of them.” Hear how, by developing close relationships with the health legislative aides of her senators and representatives – she even emailed them during the Capitol Hill riots to make sure they were safe – “They know who I am,” she says. 

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Regina Gillispie