Archive - May 2017

Just one alcohol-containing beverage a day — less than a standard drink — is sufficient to increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer, according to a new report by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). The report offered some good news too, however. Vigorous exercise and certain types of food reduce the risk of cancer in both pre- and postmenopausal women. “It can be confusing with single studies when the findings

AMARILLO, TX - The DME industry, as we know it today, has been around for about 40 years. It is a young industry. For the first 30 years of its existence, there was little government oversight on the DME industry. This has changed. Over the last 10 years, it feels like the government is making up for lost time. Today, the DME industry is caught in a "perfect storm": competitive bidding, reimbursement cuts, stringent documentation requirements, aggressive audits, and the proliferation of "whistleblowers."

Results from a randomized clinical trial show that providing counseling to breast cancer survivors about their survivorship care plans may help their doctors provide better care. In this NCI-supported trial, doctors caring for low-income, predominantly Latina breast cancer survivors who had undergone a nurse-led educational session on their care plan were much more likely to address issues such as depression and hot flashes than the doctors of survivors who didn't receive the counseling. "The

Do you remember a time when we didn’t have all the answers right at our fingertips? What year did this song come out? When is the Memorial Day parade? Where is that new greenhouse located? How can I stop my husband’s snoring?  Back in the day, we had to phone a friend, look at the newspaper or go to the library to find the answers. But today, the solution to the majority of our inquiries rests comfortably in the palm of our hand, and we’ve been trained to find answers

Note: This is the second of a two-part series about the current state of affairs in cybersecurity, how to determine levels of risk to your company and patient data, and best practices to help protect your business from hackers. Click here to view Part 1 of this series.    Identifying Your Greatest Risk Most, if not all health care providers would agree that their greatest assets are employees. When it comes to patient care, they’re probably correct. When it comes to cybersecurity,

AMARILLO, TX - The DME industry, as we know it today, has been around for about 40 years. It is a young industry. For the first 30 years of its existence, there was little government oversight on the DME industry. This has changed. Over the last 10 years, it feels like the government is making up for lost time. Today, the DME industry is caught in a "perfect storm": competitive bidding, reimbursement cuts, stringent documentation requirements, aggressive audits, and the proliferation of "whistleblowers."

You know the old slogan, “Do you want the good news first or the bad news?” Well, we are optimistic so we will give you the good news first. Good News – Mass Adjustments Starting in May not July! They are starting two months earlier than expected, AND providers do not have to take any action as these will be processed as a MASS ADJUSTMENT. Bad News – Mass Adjustments will Take Approximately 24 Weeks to Complete! Here’s what we know as of today: The DME MACs

Note: This is the first of a two-part series about the current state of affairs in cybersecurity, how to determine levels of risk to your company and patient data, and best practices to help protect your business from hackers.      By Jeremy Kauten, CIO and Sr. VP of IT, VGM Group, Inc. The health care industry has become one of the top, if not THE top target for hackers. Health care data is rich with information hackers can exploit to make money. Health care records typically

DME contractor CGS announced on May 8 that it is preparing to begin mass adjustments to all claims covered under Section 16007 of the 21st Century Cures Act for DMEPOS items for jurisdiction B and C. It was indicated in CGS' announcement that the process will take approximately 24 weeks to complete, adjusting up to 40,000 claims per day in Jurisdiction C and 20,000 per day in Jurisdiction B. The van Halem Group published a blog post going into further detail about the announcement. Click here

AMARILLO, TX - The DME industry, as we know it today, has been around for about 40 years. It is a young industry. For the first 30 years of its existence, there was little government oversight on the DME industry. This has changed. Over the last 10 years, it feels like the government is making up for lost time. Today, the DME industry is caught in a "perfect storm": competitive bidding, reimbursement cuts, stringent documentation requirements, aggressive audits, and the proliferation of "whistleblowers."