General

For more than 20 years, Essentially Women has been committed to providing benefits and services to hundreds of mastectomy and home medical equipment providers, salons and boutiques nationwide. EW strives to foster relationships to help build strong business alliances, to connect you with like-minded professionals and experts, to provide essential business programs and services that help you compete and prosper, and to make sure that you have the time to focus on what you do best - take care of patients

In the highly regulated environment of the DME industry, it is essential that providers comply with federal anti-fraud laws, state anti-fraud laws, supplier standards, accreditation requirements, and guidance from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers. Serious consequences can occur for suppliers who violate one or more of the federal anti-fraud laws.  In a recent article from Medtrade, the "Cliff Notes" version of the federal anti-fraud guidance is provided and includes information

On January, 1 2020, CMS made it effective that only one type of order is needed for DMEPOS claims, in an effort to help reduce supplier and provider burden. As such, the preliminary/dispensing order, Detailed Written Order (DWO), Five Element Order (5EO)/Written Order Prior to Delivery (WOPD), Seven Element Order (7EO), and Detailed Product Description (DPD) are no longer needed for DMEPOS and have been replaced by a Standard Written Order (SWO). However, with this publication came many questions

Even though the Medicare enrollment period ended last month, there are potential issues that suppliers and beneficiaries may face if they switched from Original Medicare (FFS) to a Medicare Advantage plan. When it comes to selecting a plan, customers may not have had all the information they needed to know regarding the exact benefits and coverage that are included with certain plans. It is possible that customers could have lost access to certain coverage that they had with Original Medicare, including

"HME is an industry that is not for everyone and certainly not for those who rely on the status quo. It challenges providers and creates opportunity. How you seize the opportunity will determine whether your success in the business is easy or hard to achieve." In a recent article from HomeCare Magazine, Miriam Lieber addresses how the home medical equipment industry can be navigated with insight regarding:  Industry challenges  Third party payers and marketing strategy  Automation

A new website has been launched that provides up to date information on risk factors for breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and is the most common cancer in women in the United States. However, in Australia, at least 1 in 4 of the cases are preventable.  Family history or age cannot change, but the consumption of alcohol, exercise, and obesity are examples of risk factors that can potentially be changed. Even though the risk factor website was

A research team from the Universities of Hartford and Connecticut has devised a new biosensor to diagnose breast cancer less invasively as compared to the current approach. A new biosensor chip has been designed to identify a breast cancer biomarker in the blood within 15 minutes. During the test, the patient's blood sample flows through the biosensor chip, which captures and immobilizes specific proteins present in the blood sample.  Read the full article here. 

Radiation is a common treatment for breast cancer, but it comes with its own risks. A report by CBS2’s Max Gomez finds that there is a new technique that may help protect women’s hearts. The new technique has patients wear a snorkel-like device during radiation. They take a deep breath and hold it; increasing the distance between the heart and the area of the breast getting the radiation. Find the full article on CBSNewYork here.

The Office of Civil Rights recently audited “covered entities” and found that ZERO fully complied with HIPAA requirements. In recent article in HME News entitled, “HIPAA compliance: Providers have homework to do,” Wayne van Halem, president of VGM’s The van Halem Group, says this is a “wake-up call” for HME providers. Van Halem goes on to say, “Our industry is really vulnerable here. This is an opportune time for providers to say, ‘This

Wendy Miller, BOCO, LO, CDME Chief Credentialing Officer Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) There are many ways a mastectomy fitter certification can help your business—or your career.  Most importantly, a certified mastectomy fitter provides a valuable resource for women in need of specialized information and assistance. Benefits for Your Business In today’s competitive marketplace, having a certified mastectomy fitter on staff can be the advantage you need. A