Medicare Reimbursement Cuts: Be Proactive in Understanding How You May Be Affected The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued major reimbursement cuts in equipment and service that suppliers receive in 91 metropolitan areas of the country, effective 2013. With such cuts, access to quality equipment and regular service from a home care provider will…
TransTracheal Oxygen Delivery Is an Alternative to a Nasal Cannula Transtracheal oxygen therapy (TTOT) delivers oxygen directly into the trachea via a small, flexible, plastic catheter. It is intended only for people requiring long term, continuous oxygen therapy and is a scientifically validated alternative to oxygen delivered by nasal prongs. Current estimates suggest between 600,000…
2012 Flu Season Expected to Peak Later in Year than Last Year’s Flu Season Flu season activity is expected to peak later in the coming year than it had in the January–February period of 2011. Injectible influenza vaccines, Fluzone, Fluzone High Dose and Fluzone Intradermal, are made up of the three flu strains most likely…
Florida Class Action Suit Will Be Pursued by 8,000 Members When a Florida Supreme Court threw out a $145 billion award against cigarette makers, they allowed 8,000 members of the class action suit to pursue their own lawsuits. They also allowed these plaintiffs to use the findings of the previous jury – meaning plaintiffs will…
Medicare Changes in 2011 The healthcare reform legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama profoundly changes the way care is provided. According to Medscape, “The Affordable Care Act seeks to dramatically expand the number of people who can afford healthcare. It does that by subsidizing the cost for those who can’t afford it, penalizing…
Respiratory News A clinical study comparing Sprivia in the Handihaler and in the Respimat is now recruiting participants. It is sponsor Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals – the clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT01126437. Because it requires control of breathing and posture, singing lessons can improve quality of life measures and decrease anxiety in COPD patients, according to a…
Oxygen Policy Changes How does Medicare pay for O2 and O2 equipment? Medicare pays suppliers a monthly fee for furnishing all medically necessary oxygen and oxygen equipment, including accessories and supplies like tubing or a mouthpiece. Assuming that you have no unmet Part B deductible, Medicare pays 80 per- cent of the allowed amount and…
Actor Bernie Mac Succumbs to Pneumonia We were saddened to hear the news that actor Bernie Mac passed away from pneumonia. The actor had been diagnosed with sarcoidosis for more than 20 years. Medical experts suspect this may have played a role in his death. Bernie Mac was 50 years old. The National Heart Lung and…
Significant Legal Decisions That Will Affect You! HR 6331 Legislation Passes! Everyone who got involved by contacting their elected representatives can be proud of the passage of HR 6331 – Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. President Bush, concerned how HR 6331 would be funded, vetoed the bill. Congress overrode the President’s…
Learning about Pulmonary Hypertension Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is continuous high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, a major blood vessel that leaves the heart to bring blood to the small pulmonary arteries of the lungs. It is here the blood picks up a fresh supply of oxygen. Normally, the average blood pressure in the…