ACHC on HIPAA Security Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) is hosting a free DMEPOS webinar on Dec. 17, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern. Attorney Denise Laird will lead “Preparing for the Inevitable — Best Practices for Preventing, Investigating and Responding to HIPAA Security Incidents.” Learning objectives for attendees include being able to list the…
Educational Opportunities: Caregiving for Parkinson’s, HIPAA Security, Duchenne MD Webinars on December’s Schedule
Cerebral Palsy Foundation Lists November Research Trials
The list includes trials for adults and children.
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation has updated its list of research and clinical trials that are seeking participants. In a Nov. 23 announcement, the organization listed the following new interventional studies: — Promoting Upright Mobility in Infants with CP Using a Robotic Unweighting System (infants 5 months to 18 months). — A Novel Program Using Ride-on…
Pride Mobility Introduces Go Go Super Portable Scooter
The scooter features the manufacturer’s new Charge360 technology.
Pride Mobility has launched the Go Go Super Portable scooter “designed with simplicity in mind for your customers — easy to fold, easy to charge, and easy to store.” In a Nov. 22 press release, the manufacturer described the Go Go Super Portable as “ideal for a long getaway, a trip around the block, and…
CMS Wants to Prevent ‘Barriers to Care’ in Medicare Advantage Programs, Add Guardrails Around AI
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced policy changes last week.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking to further crack down on the companies that administer the privatized version of Medicare. On Nov. 26, CMS proposed new policies aimed at holding Medicare Advantage (MA) plans more accountable while removing “unnecessary barriers to care” for Medicare beneficiaries. The policies target “inappropriate” prior authorization…
Eye-Gaze Controls: ‘He Wanted to Retain As Much Independence As He Could’
How alternative drive controls supported a client with ALS, as well as his caregiver.
Donnie Graham, a former engineer, lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than eight years in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Jan Steinbock, as his primary caregiver. He became quadriplegic, unable to move his legs or arms, and was dependent on noninvasive ventilation for many of those years. He operated everything, including a Surface…
Mobility Management Webinar: Exploring Eye Gaze’s Driving, Seating Opportunities
The Tolt Technologies-sponsored webinar is free to attend.
Operating a power wheelchair merely with the flick of an eye is no longer the stuff of science fiction. While clients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy, or other mobility-related conditions can lose the strength, stamina and muscle movements needed to use a traditional joystick, eye-gaze technology can make it possible to not just…
Commentary: Will New ‘Wicked’ Movie Defy Wheelchair Stereotypes?
For the first time, Nessarose, aka the Wicked Witch of the East, is portrayed by a real-life wheelchair rider.
I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz movie (flying monkeys notwithstanding), and I’ve seen Wicked, the musical prequel about the unlikely friendship between Glinda/Galinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, several times on stage. But I’ve always felt conflicted about Wicked because of how Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, is portrayed. She’s…
Miller’s Celebrates 75th Anniversary
The company that began as a party supplies business has become one of the industry’s most venerable providers.
Miller’s Rentals and Sales is celebrating its diamond jubilee — 75 years of serving patients and their families in Akron, Ohio, and other communities in the state. A quick Encyclopedia Britannica search reveals how very different the world was in 1949, the year that Miller’s was founded. For context, Harry S. Truman was sworn in…
New Merits USA President to Start Jan. 1
Current President Mike Laiman will remain with the Merits Group.
Merits USA — manufacturer of consumer and complex power wheelchairs, as well as scooters and stairlifts — will have a new company president starting Jan. 1, 2025. In a Nov. 19 press release, Merits said current vice president Andrew Maskery will succeed Mike Laiman, who has been the company’s president since January 2021. Laiman will…
Abilities Expo Announces 2025 Dates, Venues
The first 2025 show will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in March.
As the final 2024 stop on the national Abilities Expo tour approaches — Dec. 6-8 in Dallas — the consumer show series has released its 2025 schedule of dates and venues. The 2025 schedule kicks off at the Los Angeles Convention Center on March 7-9. That event is followed by the New York Metro Abilities…