Nov. 12, 2009

LifeGas, Atlanta, the U.S. medical gases business of The Linde Group, has become one of the first gases and equipment suppliers to receive accreditation as a home oxygen subcontractor.

LifeGas was one of the first medical gases companies to deliver oxygen directly to patients' homes on behalf of home care providers. The accreditation enables LifeGas to instruct patients on the safe and effective use of the oxygen and equipment it delivers.

"LifeGas believes the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act, which sets guidelines for the use of subcontractors, seeks to ensure that patients get high quality products and services from accredited subcontractors, so that everyone who enters the patient's home is following the same supplier standards," said Anthony Eafrati, home care market manager at LifeGas.

"The competitive bidding implementation contractor has made it clear that any subcontractor who provides equipment setup and patient instruction on behalf of a competitive bid contract winner must be accredited," said Jeffrey S. Baird, a lawyer with

Brown and Fortunato, which specializes in health care regulatory and accreditation issues. "Suppliers that use non-accredited subcontractors to provide these services are putting their participation in the competitive bidding program at risk."

LifeGas received the Award of Accreditation from the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA). An accrediting body like HQAA is an independent third party, contracted by the government to measure and rate the regulations, safety guidelines, and practices of a service or business- in this case, medical facilities. The three-year accreditation award recognizes that LifeGas has completed a comprehensive application focusing on patient care, financial stability and a commitment to quality operational practices.

Nov. 12, 2009

Philips Respironics, Murrysville, Pa., introduced its next generation Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System early last month. The new system provides new levels of control, compliance, and efficiency to help health care professionals improve patient outcomes, grow their businesses, and better manage their operating costs.

"In designing the new system, we took a smarter approach to the entire sleep management process and married our clinically proven technologies together in one rigorously engineered device to better support patient care," said Donald Spence, chief executive officer of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions. "It is our most sophisticated offering to date, and it comes at a time when patient compliance matters most."

With new advanced event detection software and expanded reporting capabilities, the Philips Respironics Sleep Therapy System has the ability to recognize and report when a patient may be experiencing symptoms beyond OSA. A sophisticated three-layer algorithm distinguishes between obstructed and clear airway apneas and periodic breathing, such as Cheyne-Stokes Respiration. These respiratory events can be verified by looking at detailed patient flow waveform data.

There are multiple options for data transfer, including standard SD cards and new wireless and wired modem connections. The devices now include on-board memory storage for six months of compliance data (7 and 30 day averages) and five days of patient flow waveforms. Updates to the device are automatic, and summary and daily detail reports of therapy data, including patient flow and event reports, are arranged by time frame. The "Best 30" reports the best 30 consecutive days of greater than four-hour sessions. This information enables the provider to intervene more quickly and more effectively and instantly capture patient compliance data needed for reimbursement.

The device is engineered with new Dry Box technology and a water chamber designed to keep water only where needed, while delivering consistent humidification. System One Humidity Control adjusts automatically for changes in room temperature and room humidity. Like cruise control in automobiles, patients select the desired humidity level in the mask, and advanced sensors gather the data required by the device to maintain these levels to enhance comfort and prevent rainout in changing environmental conditions.