AZ MediQuip: In brief: AZ MediQuip CEO, Tricare decision, DexCom 7 approval

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - AZ MediQuip has named Lane Hamm CEO, replacing Mark Nicotera. Hamm has a retail background, most recently serving as CEO of Weekends Only Furniture & Mattress, a family-owned company with eight stores and an e-commerce platform. While there, he led the company's expansion into multiple markets and launched its e-commerce platform. "With his strong resume and straightforward demeaner, I am delighted to pass on the leadership of AZ MediQuip to Lane," said Nicotera, who founded the company. "While Lane's business acumen is readily apparent, his understanding of the unique nature of HME retailing and how our customer relationships are often life changing are what truly stand out." AZ MediQuip was founded in 2011 and has eight retail locations offering a broad range of home medical equipment. It also offers repair services and in-home installation. "I am excited to be joining AZ MediQuip and following in Mark's pioneering footsteps," Hamm said. "I am looking forward to the opportunity of leading this wonderful organization as we enter into our next chapter of growth." Read Mark Nicotera's take on Pottery Barn entering the home accessibility market. Tomorrow Health launches automated ordering process NEW YORK - Tomorrow Health has launched Clinical Rules Engine, a tool that it says fully automates the order lifecycle for the full spectrum of DME codes. Referring care providers using the tool are guided through a five-question digital form that's fully customized to a patient's participating health insurance plan. When they complete the form, the order is immediately routed to the home-based care supplier best suited for the patient's needs. "High-touch management of care transitions from hospital to home or post-acute care to home requires that we simplify and digitize the process, improving care transitions and providing payers, care teams and all parties with up-to-the-minute visibility into care status," said Vijay Kedar, co-founder and CEO. "Fully automating one of the most cumbersome and technical parts of the home healthcare coding process is a big step forward for drifting down readmissions and restoring lower-cost home settings as patients' primary place of care." Clinical Rules Engine is in active rollout with referring care providers. Tomorrow Health says the tool cuts a traditionally one- to two-week process to five days or fewer for most orders, with half delivered in two days, ensuring patients get the home-based care they need, when they need it. "Tomorrow Health makes documentation and order fulfillment much easier, which helps us submit claims and receive payment more timely," said Shawna Morton, vice president of contracts at Rotech Healthcare. "Reducing reimbursement complexity is a huge step forward in ensuring patients get the equipment they need when they need it the most." Pharmacy organizations criticize Tricare decision ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A group of pharmacy organizations, including the National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Home Infusion Association, worry that decisions by Cigna and Express Scripts to eliminate the option for Tricare beneficiaries to obtain prescriptions at their pharmacy of choice will disrupt patient access to needed medications. In a letter to Amy Bricker, president of Express Scripts, and David Cordani, president and CEO of Cigna, the organizations argued that all pharmacies that were included in the 2022 Tricare network should remain in the 2023 network at the 2022 terms and conditions to protect beneficiary access to pharmacy care. "Tricare patients earned their benefits, and it is imperative that they retain convenient access to their health care providers, especially those with whom they have established, trusted relationships," the letter states. "Independent community and specialty pharmacies take great pride in caring for those who honorably serve or have served in our armed forces. ... The relationships between pharmacists and patients are built on trust, and for many patients is not something easily transferrable. Keeping patients' trusted pharmacies in network is critical to the patients' care." Other organizations behind the letter include the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of SpecialtyPharmacy and the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition. Express Scripts, the Cigna-owned pharmacy benefit manager that administers the Tricare benefit on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, recently announced changes effective Oct. 24 that would shrink its retail pharmacy network by 15,000 pharmacies, mostly independent community pharmacies located in underserved rural and urban areas. The change impacts 400,000 beneficiaries, according to the NCPA. To view the letter to Bricker and Cordani, click here. Read NCPA's appeal to the Department of Defense. HME Home Health reports record year RICHMOND, British Columbia - HME Home Health's total sales for the 2021-22 fiscal year expanded by double digits, says Robert Boscacci, the company's CEO and co-founder. The company has expanded aggressively across the province in recent years and today has six store-warehouse operations in Richmond, Victoria, Surrey, Nanaimo, North Vancouver and Kelowna. It employs more than 100 highly-trained professionals, technical and support staff members. Earlier this year, HME Home Health was listed as one of "Canada's Top Growing Companies in 2022" by the Globe and Mail. In 2023, the company will continue to grow in British Columbia, with a strong focus on partnering with new programs and initiatives to expand its market further, Boscacci says. "HME will also announce a new partnership in the coming months that will bring our products to even more British Columbians," he said. HME Home Health offers a vast array of mobility devices and medical equipment, including power wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, mattresses and other DME, as well stairlifts, vertical platform lifts, ramps and other installed products. Read how HME Home Health relies on a young workforce to keep the company up to date on technology. Researchers take different approach to adherence to CPAP therapy CHICAGO - Researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University are testing an app with a new adherence metric: the percentage of time a user wears their CPAP device relative to their time spent sleeping. "Sleep apnea can be effectively treated only when CPAP is used during the entire time spent in bed sleeping," said Esra Tasali, MD, director of the UChicago Sleep Center and senior author of an initial study on the app published Dec. 5 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. "We know that sleep patterns can vary considerably, so one-size-fits-all adherence guidelines are insufficient for most patients. By developing a tool for personalized CPAP treatment for sleep apnea, we are providing an opportunity for patients and providers to deliver and track therapy based on individual need." For the study, a team at Northwestern University modified a weight-loss app they developed that tracks diet, physical activity and weight. To support weight loss, the app integrates information from a wearable sleep and activity tracker and weight scale. Since excess weight is a major risk factor for sleep apnea, researchers modified the app to have it chart patient CPAP wear time and check it against a goal of wearing the device 100% of time spent sleeping. Based on the patient feedback, researchers added features like push notifications to remind users to wear their CPAP device before bedtime. As a next step, researchers are planning additional studies to test the tool against traditional methods for monitoring CPAP use to determine whether it improves patient adherence to therapy. Philips reduces activities in Russia AMSTERDAM - Philips released a statement on Dec. 5 condemning Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The company says it has substantially reduced its activities in Russia since February, including stopping shipments of its consumer health products (except for certain baby care products), suspending marketing activities and winding down R&D activities. "We are focusing our remaining activities in Russia on the delivery of medical systems, devices and spare parts to health care providers to the extent possible, in full compliance with applicable export controls and sanctions," the company stated. "This is in line with the guidance provided by various regulators. We will continue to closely monitor developments with a view to evaluating possible next steps and will support any decisions and actions taken by the international community." Philips and the Philips Foundation have been working with local humanitarian organizations, such as the Red Cross and local government agencies, to provide support to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. This includes providing patient monitors and handheld diagnostic ultrasound devices to assist in acute and emergency care. "Consumer products, including products for mothers and their babies, have been provided to Ukrainian hospitals, maternity homes and charitable organizations," the company stated. DexCom 7 receives FDA approval SAN DIEGO - DexCom has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its next-generation Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System for people with all types of diabetes ages two years and older. "There's a reason Dexcom has the best-selling real-time CGM on the market," said Kevin Sayer, chairman, president and CEO of Dexcom. "For more than a decade, we've pioneered generation after generation of sensing technology that consistently delivers improved accuracy, reliability and a simpler user experience, giving people greater control of their diabetes. When we set out to design G7, our goal was simple: to make the most powerful, easy-to-use CGM available for people with diabetes, whether they have