Home Health & Hospice Week

Company not for sale, execs insist. The latest Medicare payment cuts to inhalation drugs are taking their toll on suppliers, and Apria Healthcare Group Inc. is no exception.
 
While Apria's revenues increased 5 percent in the most recent quarter, the Lake Forest, CA-based company saw its profits sag. The company reports net income of $29.1 million on revenues of $359.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, compared with a $29.4 million profit on $343.3 million for the same period in 2003.
 
Medicare's cut to 80 percent of average wholesale price for respiratory medications is partly to blame for a $17.5 million bite out of Apria's revenues, the company says.  And the company's decision not to renew its contract with Gentiva Health Ser-vices Inc.'s CareCentrix managed care division makes up the balance (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XIII, No. 4, p. 31).
 
Meanwhile, the company is fending off rumors that it is up for sale. The New York Post ran an article July 29 saying Apria has retained Banc of America Securities to explore a possible sale, and that the company has been in talks with several investment firms about buying the company and taking it private.
 
Apria issued a statement saying it "does receive inquiries from time to time concerning the possible acquisition of the Company." As part of their fiduciary duty, Apria's board of directors "considers, from time to time, whether the best interests of stockholders would be served by pursuing such a transaction."
 
But the company promises "at this time, there is no transaction pending and Apria is not engaged in any effort looking to, or negotiations with any party concerning, a sale of the Company."

  Newly increased Medicare spending estimates will mean even more pressure to cut reimbursement rates to providers next year - and home care is always a favorite target. The Office of Management and Budget has bumped up its Medicare outlay predictions by $67 billion over the next five years. The change is due to Medicare Advantage technical corrections and updated economic assumptions. The OMB's estimate is at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/05msr.pdf.   Heads up, consultants: Wrong reimbursement advice could end up costing you a bundle. That's what Ernst & Young has found out the hard way.

The consulting giant has settled with the government to resolve charges that it violated the False Claims Act by giving clients misleading advice. The settlement reached July 20 was $1.5 million.
 
"This settlement should provide a wake-up call not only to health care providers but also to the consultants on whose advice they rely," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan. "Those who market themselves as experts have the responsibility to provide accurate information."   Option Care Inc. saw double-digit increases to its earnings figures for the latest [...]