Page 10 - HME Business, January 2018

News / Trends / Analysis
Azar Nominated as Secretary of HHS
American Association for Homecare welcomes news, hopes Azar will focus on competitive bidding’s ‘ awed regulatory design.’
50 Cystic Fibrosis Patients
to Receive Free Af oVests
High frequency chest wall oscillation devices will be distributed this month to help aid airway clearance.
The Af oVest is a high-frequency, fully mobile chest wall oscillation vest that aids
in airway clearance. Beginning in January 2018, The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation and Af oVest manufacturer International Biophysics Corp. will donate one Af oVest to a cystic brosis patient living in each state.
Created in 2015 by former NFL linebacker Colton Underwood, The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation encourages youth participation in athletics and provides resources for research and support of people with cystic brosis.
“We are thrilled and honored to work with Colton and his Legacy Foundation to help cystic brosis patients across the country,” said H. David Shockley, Jr., International Biophysics’ CEO. “We share a commitment to helping improve the quality of life for these patients and are excited to be working together on the project.”
“We are now accepting nominations for patient recipients and will be giving away the rst Af oVest in January 2018 in Denver, Colorado,” Underwood said. “We greatly appreciate International Biophysics’ sponsorship of the project and are looking forward to working together to help patients across the U.S. receive next generation treatment.”
Billed under Medicare code E0483, the Af oVest is designed for treating patients with a variety of diag- noses, including cystic brosis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS, quadriplegia and other neuromuscular diseases. n
Pres. Trump has nominated onetime Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and former president of the U.S. division of pharmaceuti- cals giant Eli Lilly and Company Alex M. Azar II for his new Secretary of HHS.
Yet to be con rmed by the Senate, Azar
would ll the spot left open by the previous HHS Secretary, Tom Price, who resigned from the post after it was revealed he routinely used expensive charter ights for government travel.
The news was welcomed by the HME industry leadership, with Tom Ryan, president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare saying that his organization applauds the nomination
of an experienced and accomplished healthcare executive and regulatory lawyer to run HHS.
“We hope that the new Secretary, if he is con rmed, will immediately turn his focus to the awed regulatory design of the home medical equipment bidding program,” Ryan said. “This broken program is jeopardizing access to critical medical treatments for thousands of elderly and disabled Medicare bene ciaries every day. The
new Secretary must direct CMS to re-start a revised program when the current contracts expire in 2019.”
Philips Launches
Campaign to Build
COPD Awareness
Respiratory equipment maker partners with COPD athlete to develop videos that show how patients can continue living life to the fullest.
Azar, who also served as the General Counsel for HHS prior to becoming Deputy Secretary, would likely continue the Trump adminis- tration’s efforts to reform or repeal the Patient Protection/ Affordable Care Act, which he has called a “fundamentally broken system.”
“Much of the focus will
likely be changing the
ideology under which the
existing law will be administered,” former Bush administration HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt told the New York Times. “I’m con dent that he would like to see the way the law works change.”
On the other side of the nomination, lawmakers critical of Pres. Trump’s choice called Azar’s ability to effectively and impartially run HHS given his long-term work as a pharmaceuticals executive.
“I am also interested in how, given Mr. Azar’s profes- sional background, he believes he can fairly execute any signi cant effort to lower drug prices for patients,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told the Times. n
empower COPD patients and their caregivers. Additionally, Philips will donate $1 to The COPD Foundation for every campaign video share throughout COPD Awareness month, November.
After being diagnosed with COPD, Winwood initially found it dif cult to carry out his everyday routine, but after six months he completed his rst full Ironman and continues to participate in triath- lons around the world.
“I rst heard of COPD when I was diagnosed, and I was devastated,” Winwood said. “I wish I understood that this wasn’t a death sentence, and it doesn’t mean you have to give up the things you love. With the support of my wife and family, I vowed that I wouldn’t allow this disease to take control of my life.”
In the videos Winwood credits his success in living with the condition to various factors:
• Working with his physician to better understand
and manage his condition and treatment.
• Treatment options such as prescription drugs,
positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, portable
oxygen concentrators, and ventilation therapy. • Healthy nutrition that fosters better breathing. • Exercise that strengthens large muscle groups
to boost cardio-respiratory tness and improve circulation. n
Alex M. Azar II would ll the spot left open by the previous HHS Secretary, Tom Price
UPCOMING COVERAGE
More industry intelligence is available at hme-business.com.
Developing Stories — Watch HME-Business and subscribe to e-Source during January to monitor the industry’s push to advance H.R. 4229, which would provide rural bidding relief and x the oxygen “double dip,” as well as H.R. 3730, which would protect access to manual CRT wheelchair accessories.
e-Source — Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, e-Source, to ensure you stay up to date on the latest industry news, trends and developments. You can enter your email address on the hme-business.com homepage to subscribe.
Philips Respironics
parent company Royal Philips collaborated with COPD
athlete Russell Winwood in a recent campaign to raise awareness for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and is projected to be the third leading cause by 2020, according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. However, diagnosis remains a key problem in COPD care, with only half of an estimated 210 million COPD sufferers formally diagnosed with the condition.
To help increase awareness and diagnosis, Philips and Winwood have created motivational videos designed to help educate, engage and
10 HMEBusiness | January 2018 | hme-business.com
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