KAPOW! Devon Medical and other super heroes have assembled at the Nashville Convention Center.

Kapow! Devon Medical has powered up with other independent distributors in Nashville, TN. The super heroes have assembled at the Nashville Convention Center and are ready to go on a mission to impact the industry!

Have I confused you? Let’s take one step back. “KAPOW ” is the theme of this year’s NDC exhibition – an annual meeting hold by the National Distribution & Contracting, Inc, which brings distributors and vendors together for a three-day education, networking, entertainment program including a large scale trade show exhibition. If you are a health-related superhero, you are at the right place! The 2013 exhibition offers super power classes not only on the recent buzz: healthcare reform and competitive bidding aftermath but also GPOs, warehouse measures, and growth opportunities from your customers.

We are very excited to present our therapeutic and diagnostic devices at booth #316 today. Please stop by or contact us if you would like to learn more about our products!

Show Details: 

When: June 10-12, 2013

Where: Nashville Convention Center, 601 Commerce St, Nashville, TN 37203

In this video, you will see these software updates (which include changes in icons and alarm settings) as well as how to change the pressure, switch between the continuous and intermittent modeS, lock and unlock the device, etc. We also provide an overview on the alarm settings.

We work closely with wound care nurses, physicians, and engineers to stress patients’ needs. The system is very user-friendly, and the videos will show you further in details.

If you are a patient who needs treatment support, a wound care professional, or a DME/distributor interested in learning more about the extriCARE® NPWT system, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

As always, we work closely with wound care nurses and physicians to provide products that address efficacy and patients’ needs. We now include safe silicon strips with our dressings that can be applied to create and maintain tight seals around wounds. The silicon strips provide excellent adhesiveness and cause minimal to no irritation during removal.

If you are a patient who needs treatment support, a wound care professional who needs clinical guidance, or a DME or distributor interested in learning more about the extriCARE® NPWT system, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

“Hej Danmark!” sing the Devon Medical sailors!

Devon Medical has had a busy spring so far. Our show schedule has included Medtrade in Las Vegas, the Midwest Podiatry Conference in Chicago, SAWC in Denver… Yes, we have been all over the States for the major exciting events in the industry, and we just cannot have enough. And guess what’s next? We are hopping on a swan boat, across the North Atlantic Ocean, into the Baltic Sea, all the way to the “Whitecap Bay…” – in other words, the beautiful homeland of the mermaids – Copenhagen, Denmark, where the 2013 EWMA (European Wound Management Association) show will be held.

EWMA, founded in 1991, has developed into one of the world’s largest wound management associations. It is linked across Europe with multidisciplinary groups promoting the advancement of education and research into native epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, prevention and management of wounds of all aetiologies. The conference offers valuable opportunities for its attendees to receive the most recent knowledge within the field as more than 3000 related professionals, researchers, clinicians, and product suppliers gather from the world for high level scientific presentations, networking activities, and maybe – fairy tale discussions.

Tomorrow, we will be proud to join the EWMA Conference for the second time. “We are very excited to attend EWMA again, as we had great success meeting distributors, wound care professionals, and key opinion leaders in Europe at the show in Vienna last year,”says Darren Behuniak, vice president of marketing and communications for Devon Medical. “This year we will be able to show attendees our recently CE-approved extricare® NPWT system. We look forward to kicking things off in Copenhagen!”

Will you jump aboard and join the crew? Please drop by stand #3 to learn more about our wonderful treasures – thera-pearl-tic (aka therapeutic) and diagnostic devices. Hej Danmark!

Show Details: 

When: May 15-17, 2013

Where: Bella Center A/S, Center Boulevard 5, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark

Peter Mason (left) and Nick Mattiacci (right) attending the Conference – You might know us for our wound care devices… Now you know about our football skills too!

What products did you feature?

We focused on exhibiting our therapeutic devices – the CircuFlow™ 5150 and CircuFlow™ 5200 compression therapy lymphedema pumps, the ArterioFlow® 7500 arterial compression pump, and of course – the extriCARE® portable Negative Wound Pressure Therapy System, which includes a extriCARE® 2400 pump, a 110cc canister, and anatomically fitted dressings.

We did not forget about our diagnostic devices either. We were pleased to refer to them in some occasions when attendees required about our handy pulse oximeters, drug tests samples, and the iRelax™ Personal Stress Management Devices.

What were the doctors most interested in?

The lymphedema pumps and the extriCARE® system received the most attention, especially our portable negative pressure wound device. Although the NPWT market has been a hot topic lately in the wound care field, it is not always used or preferred by podiatrists. They were very interested in the technology and the possibility of combining wound care with the art of podiatry.

What would be the biggest challenges for the podiatry community?

Wound care is not in podiatrists’ daily routine, at least not yet. Currently, they examine patients’ skin, tissues and bones. They diagnose what the problems are, write the prescriptions and send the patients away to the wound care centers, etc. However, with our devices, the podiatrists will be able to keep the patients and proceed to the healing process. Our portable NPWT system is very user-friendly. The pump weighs less than a pound, featuring an intuitive LCD screen and an alarm in case of misusage; the dressings come in five sizes to ensure the perfect fit for the wound; foam is no longer used in most of the cases and silicon stripes are adopted to minimize the pain for the patients. The system is FDA-cleared and so simple to use that the patient/caregiver can change the dressings if prescribed by a physician/qualified clinician. It can be carried around for a continuous treatment (for more information, please check our NPWT & extriCARE® FAQs or contact us).

How did you like Chicago?

I love Chicago, it’s a great city. This is a little early for its golden season, unfortunately. It was raining when we got there… But Chicago is the kind of city where even in the wind and rain, it still shows its charm and gives everyone a great experience.

*Next Stop: Copenhagen, Denmark – Devon Medical is all geared up for the EWMA (European Wound Management Association) show from May 15-17.

Midwest Podiatry Conference 2012 Assistants Workshop

The Midwest Podiatry Conference, one of the largest podiatric shows in the country, has been dedicated to supporting “the art and science of podiatric medicine.” Every year, the show brings about 2,000 podiatric professionals together from various fields such as surgery, diabetes, pediatrics, wound care, etc. During the three days of education, workshops, networking and discussion-based activities, participants achieve a better understanding of the most recent podiatry news and technology.

This year, Devon Medical Products is delighted to join the group as an exhibitor in booth #325. We will be presenting our therapeutic and diagnostic devices, especially our portable extriCARE® Negative Pressure Therapy (NPWT) system which includes a small and lightweight NPWT pump, drainage tubes, disposable canisters, and five sizes of NPWT dressings. Although NPWT is one of the oldest forms of medicinal therapy to heal human bodies (please see our recently released case study on extriCARE® healing a surgical wound), it is relatively new to the podiatry field (addressing this year’s conference theme – Every Day Brings New Choices). We are very interested in meeting with podiatrists to discuss how our extriCARE® NPWT system meets the needs of the patients.

Are you coming to the show? Please drop by our booth #325 to learn more about our medical products. You can also contact us if you would like to schedule a meeting.

Show Details: 

Where:  The Hyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago, IL 60601
When:    April 19-21, 2013

Remember: The key to negative pressure wound therapy is creating a tight “seal”!

We are pleased to announce the recent release of a negative pressure wound therapy case study that shows our extriCARE® NPWT system healing a surgical wound.

The study discusses details around the wound creation, the size of the wound, frequency of dressing changes, and the healing timeline. It also includes the treatment outcomes and clinical notes.

The extriCARE® NPWT system is Medicare-reimbursable and FDA-cleared. We work closely with wound care nurses, physicians, and engineers to develop a system that is easily accessible to the patients in need. Today the extriCARE® device is being used in various ambulatory and outpatient settings.

If you are a patient who needs treatment support, a wound care professional, or a DME distributor interested in learning more about the extriCARE® NPWT system, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Weighing only 5.5 pounds, the CircuFlow™ 5150 is sleek and features easy-grip handles for easy movement. With an intuitive user interface and an easy-to-read LCD screen, users can see real-time pressure in each individual chamber during the quiet, wave-like gradient sequential inflation/deflation massage-like therapy cycle.

The device works with Devon Medical Products’ CircuFlow™ garments, which feature easy-grip handles and a close-ended zipper that does not unzip all the way for a better user experience.

This video outlines how to operate the CircuFlow™ 5150 pump and apply the garments. If you have questions about device operation, or if you are a patient interested in using a lymphedema pump, please do not hesitate to contact us.

MedTrade Spring 2013

It’s that time of year again! Medtrade Spring 2013 is just a few days away, and Devon Medical Products will be there for the big event in booth #1128. The 2012 spring show was attended by over 4,000 home medical equipment providers, home health care professionals, and leading manufacturers of home health care products and technology.

The buzz around this conference is all around the CMS Competitive Bidding Program. (See our round-up blog post from February here.) Visitors will be attending conference sessions related to the impact the bidding program will have on the industry. Specifically, we’ll be interested in talking with DMEs who won contracts for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).

“In our conversations with DME partners and industry veterans, competitive bidding is clearly the issue most suppliers are concerned about,” says Darren Behuniak, vice president of marketing and communications for Devon Medical Products. “While the debate rages on in Washington, we will be working with attendees and partners at Medtrade to develop strategies around negative pressure wound therapy care.”

Below are details about the show. Please contact us if you would like to schedule a meeting.

Show Details:

Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
When:    March 20-21, 2013 (Expo Show Floor), March 19-21, 2013 (Conference)
Exhibit Hall Hours: Wednesday, March 20, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm; Thursday, March 21, 10:30 am – 3:00 pm

Are you going to be at the show? Come visit Devon Medical Products at booth #1128 for an up-close look at our therapeutic and diagnostic devices.

Medicare bidding program expands.

A Medicare “competitive bidding” program touted by the federal government as a powerful cost-saving initiative will now be expanding across the country this summer. Round 2 of this program will impact Durable Medical Equipment (DME) suppliers’ ability to bill Medicare for various medical devices, including negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) equipment and supplies.

The program required DMEs to bid for contracts which would allow them to bill Medicare for equipment used by patients in certain Competitive Bid Areas (CBA). The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services says, “Bids are evaluated based on the supplier’s eligibility, its financial stability and the bid price. Contracts are awarded to the Medicare suppliers who offer the best price and meet applicable quality and financial standards.”

Round 2 of competitive bidding related to NPWT equipment and supplies has had strong implications for DMEs who provide these products. As of July 1, 2013, only competitive bid winners will be able to bid Medicare for NPWT-related codes, including E2402 (NPWT pumps), A6550 (NPWT supplies including dressings), and A700 (NPWT canisters). This round of competitive bidding will impact 91 cities across the country and a total of 100 CBAs, as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago have multiple CBAs.

If you are a DME who has won a competitive bid and would like more information about our extriCARE™ NPWT System, please contact us.

More Information

For more information about competitive bidding and NPWT reimbursement amounts, click here. To see if your area is affected by this program, click here.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Until now, Medicare prices for durable equipment and related supplies have been set according to a fee schedule that was established in the 1980s and has been updated for inflation. But officials at the Department of Health and Human Services say the older system has proved vulnerable to fraud and price inflation. About 20 million people who receive Medicare fee-for-service benefits live in the 100 metropolitan areas where the program is scheduled to operate, according to officials with the Department of Health and Human Services. Only a fraction of those beneficiaries need durable equipment supplies. But the initiative is expected to save $27 billion for Medicare Part B, which covers physician and out-patient services, and $17 billion for beneficiaries, between 2013 and 2022.