Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Alpine awarded with title of "Best HME Provider" by the HME Excellence committee.




This year Alpine is pleased to hold the title of “Best HME Provider” presented by the HME Excellence committee (HME News). The committee made their decision based on a variety of qualifications, including average annual rate of sales growth in the past two years, average pre-tax profit margin over the last three years, memberships, leadership positions, non-profit community involvement, and more. The award was announced at this year’s MedTrade conference, during “Power of Funding.”

HME News Article:

Meet Alpine Home Medical Equipment, winner of the 2011 HME Excellence Awards for best HME provider. President Jay Broadbent says he’s had his share of successes--and failures--along the way.

Broadbent will share his failures, too. Like the time he signed up his team to exhibit at the Utah State Fair.

“It was 10 days straight, and we had to man it from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” he recalls. “We were pooped. We didn’t get a single sale from that thing.”

His willingness to risk failure originates in Broadbent’s business philosophy: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

That focus on growth has paid off--Broadbent estimates that Alpine Home Medical is growing about 40% a year and they’ve just secured a large state contract.

“It’s a big deal for us as a company,” he says. “We’re adding four more branches and close to 20 people to take on this contract.”

That’s in addition to Alpine Home Medical’s current 100 employees in seven branches throughout Utah. The 14-year-old full-service provider also has a retail store in most of its branches.

The company uses open book management, allowing all employees to look up its P&L statement at any time.

“It’s where can we do better? How can we reduce costs?” says Broadbent. I’m always amazed at the (providers) who don’t know their business, who don’t break down their financials every month and look at their strengths and weaknesses.”

Alpine Home Medical also emphasizes their role as a community partner, which is embodied by the comany’s B In Motion Foundation. It sponsors a yearly bicycle race to raise money to give wheelchairs to uninsured patients.

“It ties us back to our community,” Broadbent says. “We’re homegrown and that rings true in our market.” -HME News

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro, Letter to Congress



















Comptroller General of the United States
441 G Street NW
Room 7100
Washington, DC 20548
Re: Medicare National Competitive Bidding

Dear General Dodaro:
We are writing to request an immediate and comprehensive review of the Medicare National
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with Round One on January 1, 2011.
In your review and report we ask that you consider and answer the following questions with
regard to Round One of NCB:

1. What is the impact on beneficiary access to quality and timely services?

2. What is the impact on jobs generally?

3. What is the impact on job loss for small DME businesses?

4. Should winning bidders be required to deliver products and services at their bid prices?
Should retail pharmacies be included in NCB?

5. Can NCB and the Affordable Care Act be synchronized?

6. Is NCB consistent with the demonstration projects conducted by Health Care Financing
Agency (HCFA), now CMS, in FL?

We further request that you consult with all interested parties and stakeholders, including but not limited to CMS, State Health Departments, beneficiaries, DME dealers, DME manufacturers, the Institute of Medicine, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We understand the usual practice to share your report with the affected agency, in this case CMS, but ask that you not change your report based on CMS comments. Please deliver your report and CMS comments to this Committee by February 1, 2012.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

44(110 1 Rogers Denny Rehberg Chairman, Chairman, Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies