Good Shepherd Partners With Clarkson University Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, and Good Shepherd Hospital, Allentown, Pa, have joined together to develop a series of programs and technologies to help individuals with disabilities reach their greatest potential. Through the partnership, the two organizations will work together to identify the challenges and needs of individuals with disabilities, develop engineering solutions, and test product prototypes. Clarkson and Good Shepherd also plan to establish a faculty and student exchange program, and to develop joint workshops, seminars, and other educational and research opportunities. The institutions plan to share ideas and develop technologies for concepts such as a virtual reality wheelchair to train individuals to operate a power wheelchair, and 3-D visualization/simulation projects that have the potential to improve and accelerate rehabilitation therapy. PTPN Achieves New High in Claims PTPN, Calabasas, Calif, announced it processed $147 million in national claims last year, the highest amount in the company's 18-year history. Its national claims grew from $127 million in 2001 to $147 million in 2002, an increase of 16%. PTPN's network has more than 1,000 provider offices in 23 states, including physical, occupational, and speech therapists. It contracts with most major managed care organizations, including insurers, PPOs, HMOs, medical groups, and IPAs. Pride Named Vendor of the Year Pride Mobility Products Corp, Exeter, Pa, has received the New England Medical Equipment Dealers Association (NEMED) Vendor of the Year Award for 2003. The award is presented each year at NEMED's annual meeting to an associate member who has promoted the industry throughout the year by grassroots lobbying, other public relations, or sponsoring a NEMED educational/membership meeting. NEMED's membership works together to support the common goals and interests of the home medical equipment, respiratory, rehab/assistive technology, and home infusion therapy industry. Casa Colina Earns High JCAHO Score Casa Colina Hospital, Pomona, Calif, has achieved accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as a result of its demonstrated compliance with JCAHO's nationally recognized health care standards. Site surveyors scored the hospital facility 93 out of a possible 100 during an on-site survey on May 21-23. The survey was among the most comprehensive in Casa Colina's history due to the development of several freestanding specialty programs at its new Tamkin Outpatient Center. ReDoc Receives AOTA Endorsement, Recognition The Rehab Documentation Company LLC (TRDC), Nashville, has received the exclusive endorsement of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) for its ReDoc Suite, a clinical documentation application designed to serve rehabilitation providers. AOTA and TRDC entered the arrangement with the mutual goal of enhancing occupational therapy practice for both the client and the practitioner. As part of its customization efforts for the AOTA, ReDoc offers a hyperlink that will take occupational therapists from the ReDoc program directly to an electronic copy of the AOTA's Occupational Therapy Practice Framework; Domain and Process. In addition, the company has been named a 2003 Music City Future 50 company by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. To be eligible for the Future 50, companies must be privately owned, headquartered in middle Tennessee, have 10 or more employees, and anticipate revenue and employment growth of 10% of more per year for the next 3 years. RIC Wins New Freedom Award The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) was given the "Best New Freedom Service" award by the Jim Mullen Foundation at the inaugural New Freedom Awards on July 23. The award recognizes RIC's services as having "the most profound effect on the quality of life for people with disabilities." In addition, RIC has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the US Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to evaluate the effects of Medicare's new prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation. The project, Health Services Research DRRP (Disability and Rehabilitation Research Program) on Medical Rehabilitation, will examine the delivery of health care services to persons with disabilities by evaluating the impact of the inpatient rehabilitation facility PPS on access to rehabilitation services in terms of settings, services, and length of stay. The project will be led by RIC's associate director of research, Allen Heinemann, PhD. Medicare Adopts Review Policy for Mechanical In-exsufflation Devices Medicare has adopted an LMPR (local medical review policy) for mechanical in-exsufflation (MI-E) devices. This new policy applies to patients with ineffective cough due to neurological disorders, such as post-polio, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, that involve some paralysis of the respiratory muscles. It should make it easier for providers to bill for noninvasive airway clearing devices. Hanger To Report Monthly News Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, Auburn Hills, Mich, has announced that it is initiating a monthly fax containing news stories, recent awards, new practice managers, and association appointments.
