FDA Approves Stair-Climbing Wheelchair
On August 13, Independence Technology LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced it had cleared one of the final hurdles in its quest to bring its stair-climbing wheelchair to market by receiving US Food and Drug Administration approval. The Warren, NJ-based company expects that in 3 or 4 months, the four-wheel-drive wheelchair will be available to the estimated 2 million wheelchair users in the United States—but not through HME dealers.
The Independence™ iBot™ 3000 Mobility System—which can also traverse difficult terrain, such as sand—will be sold directly to consumers after they receive a prescription from a physician and training from a rehabilitation clinic.

Jay Van Vechten, spokesperson for Independence Technology, says it is not distributing through HME dealers because it takes extensive training to set patients up with the iBot. Instead, the company will offer the wheelchair through a network of rehabilitation centers, which must employ at least one staff member who has taken an intensive 5-day training course on the iBot.

“The centers also have to dedicate a whole section of the facilities to the iBot with stairs and sand and gravel and loose stones and all of the other surfaces and environments it will encounter when someone is using it so they can be trained and tested in those situations,” Van Vechten says. “It creates a very hands-on environment between the company and the people who will be actually using the iBot, and that’s why [Independence Technology] is not going through a regular dealer network.”

For service, an Independence Technology technician will come to a user’s home within 24 hours, according to Van Vechten. However, he says many service problems can be handled by simply plugging the chair directly into a phone line, through which it does its own diagnosis and repairs itself.

Designed by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter, the iBot relies on a computerized system of sensors, gyroscopes, and electric motors to remain upright in situations that would cause other devices to tip over. With the push of a button, the wheelchair converts from a standard chair with four wheels on the ground to an elevated chair balanced on only two wheels.

To use the iBOT, a person must weigh no more than 250 pounds and have the use of at least one arm. The device will cost about $29,000.

HME Insider

The clamor for industrywide accreditation and licensure laws continues to grow. Yet, with or without legal direction, HME providers should begin reexamining their current level of professionalism, says David Miller, CEO of The MED Group, Lubbock, Tex. Dealer/Provider spoke with Miller to find out why he thinks it is time for home health care to get serious about setting standards. Q Why should members of the HME industry raise their own standards? A In order to better position ourselves as a profession with other health care providers, payors, government entities, and consumers, we simply must raise the bar for participation in this industry. As long as any provider of health care services remains uncertified, unlicensed, or unaccredited, inclusion in the circle of professionals cannot happen. Second, while setting standards will not eliminate the fraud and abuse that takes place in the HME world, demanding licensing, accreditation, or certification will reduce it. Slipshod providers simply will not go to the trouble necessary to comply with standards. That being said, I am happy to share what I would consider an ideal scenario. Reasonable standards (in both application and cost), created and adopted by industry members, administered by an industry-chosen accrediting body (or bodies), and accepted by payors and other health care professionals, would attract high-quality HME/RT/rehab/IV providers and create barriers of entry for low-quality or inappropriate providers. I believe that a national program of accreditation for companies and certification for selected positions within the industry (again, following the prudent-man rule of reasonable standards) is a better choice than state licensure. While I am a great believer in local government and states’ rights, the inconsistency that would result from state licensure would create many issues related to federal payors. Q Does The MED Group require its members to be accredited, licensed, or certified? A We have varying categories of membership. To participate as a full-service member, a company must be accredited by either the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or the Community Health Accreditation Program. To join either our National Respiratory Network or National Rehab Network, we require accreditation or, in the case of the rehab network, a signed affidavit indicating strict adherence to the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS) standards of practice and protocol. Q In what ways does The MED Group plan to raise standards—independent of national or state laws? A We continue to assist our members with their accreditation efforts through our COMPASS program. We will support the adoption of professional standards for the provision of respiratory products in the home as we have on the rehab side of the business through our long-standing relationship with NRRTS. In addition, I am serving on the American Association for Homecare’s Future of Homecare task force and will support recommendations from that group related to qualifying standards for participation in our industry.

Invacare Acquires Two Canadian Companies
Home care giant Invacare Corp grew even bigger in August. The Elyria, Ohio-based company acquired two Canadian-based companies: Carroll Healthcare Inc, a manufacturer of beds and furniture for the long-term care market, and Motion Concepts Inc, a designer and manufacturer of power tilt and recline systems for power wheelchairs. Terms of the cash purchases were not disclosed.

Located in London, Ontario, Canada, Carroll Healthcare will be operated as a part of Invacare’s Continuing Care Group (ICCG). Carroll will retain its own manufacturing and administration as well as its current sales channel.

“With the combination of Carroll and ICCG, we are very pleased to become the market leader in furniture and medical equipment to the long-term care industry in North America,” says A. Malachi Mixon III, Invacare chairman and CEO.

A privately owned business based in Toronto, Motion Concepts will be operated as an independently run unit of Invacare. Motion Concepts will retain its own design and engineering staff and sales organization.

“We are extremely pleased to be joining Invacare while maintaining the independence that our customers expect and deserve,” says Joe Bornbaum, president of Motion Concepts. “Our ability to expand and grow will be enhanced by Invacare’s financial strength.”

Invacare expects both acquisitions to be immediately accretive to earnings. Mixon says the addition of the two companies will help move Invacare closer to achieving its goal of $2 billion in sales in 2006, “both through internal growth as well as through acquisitions.”

Chad Reports Improved First Quarter Revenue and Earnings
CHAD Therapeutics Inc, Chatsworth, Calif, saw the best quarterly revenue performance in 6 years during the first quarter of fiscal 2004, according to CEO Thomas E. Jones. For the 3 months ended June 30, 2003, the respiratory care company reported a 13% revenue increase to $5,669,000 from $5,022,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2003. Earnings also were up, reaching $224,000—a 26% jump from the first quarter of fiscal 2003.

Jones attributed much of the company’s success to a 21% increase in domestic sales of oxygen conservers compared with the same quarter last year. He also noted a 9% increase in international revenue over the prior year’s quarter.