Viemed Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company” or “Viemed”) (TSX: VMD.TO and NASDAQ:VMD), a home medical equipment supplier that provides post-acute respiratory care services in the United States, announced its support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) recent decision to remove oxygen and positive airway pressure (“PAP”) devices from the Competitive Bidding Program (“CBP”) beginning January 1, 2021
LAFAYETTE, La., Oct. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viemed Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company” or “Viemed”) (TSX: VMD.TO and NASDAQ:VMD), a home medical equipment supplier that provides post-acute respiratory care services in the United States, announced its support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) recent decision to remove oxygen and positive airway pressure (“PAP”) devices from the Competitive Bidding Program (“CBP”) beginning January 1, 2021. CMS intended for 16 product categories to be included in the Round 2021 CBP. However, as previously disclosed, non-invasive ventilators were removed from the 2021 CBP in April 2020. Now, CMS has dropped 13 of the 15 remaining product categories, including oxygen and PAP therapies. CMS is only awarding CBP contracts for the off-the-shelf (“OTS”) Back Braces and OTS Knee Braces product categories. CMS’s stated its reason for not awarding these 13 product categories was “because the payment amounts did not achieve expected savings.”
This decision will once again benefit the millions of CMS beneficiaries, as the access to care will not be inhibited by the CBP. Recently, the Company has grown its offering of oxygen related therapy around the country, providing portable oxygen concentrators, as it continues to expand its world class services to more patients. This recent decision will allow the Company to continue to offer the same high quality therapy to all potential beneficiaries, regardless of where they live.
“We are excited to see CMS announce another step in the right direction. The removal of home medical equipment from the 2021 competitive bidding round will allow us to effectively treat more patients in the home,” said Casey Hoyt, Viemed CEO. “As a result of the new regulatory changes, our company is excited about expanding our ancillary product offerings, which will ultimately contribute to our growth rate. While the current pandemic is ongoing, we believe these types of program changes are big signals from CMS that our country must expand access to home care for a growing population of patients desperately needing to be treated out of harm’s way from COVID-19.”
ABOUT VIEMED HEALTHCARE, INC.
Viemed, through its indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries Sleep Management, L.L.C. and Home Sleep Delivered, L.L.C., is a home medical equipment supplier that provides post-acute respiratory care services in the United States. Sleep Management, L.L.C. focuses on disease management and improving the quality of life for respiratory patients through clinical excellence, education, and technology. Its service offerings are based on effective home treatment with respiratory care practitioners providing therapy and counseling to patients in their homes using cutting edge technology. Home Sleep Delivered, L.L.C. focuses on providing in-home sleep testing for sleep apnea sufferers. Visit our website at www.viemed.com.
For further information, please contact:
Glen Akselrod
Bristol Capital
905-326-1888
glen@bristolir.com
Todd Zehnder
Chief Operating Officer
Viemed Healthcare, Inc.
337-504-3802
investorinfo@viemed.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 or “forward-looking information” as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “potential”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “projects”, or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “will”, “should”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved” or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. 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These factors include, without limitation: the general business, market and economic conditions in the regions in which the Company operates; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by governmental authorities, individuals and companies in response to the pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including on the Company’s patient base and revenues, employees, and equipment and supplies; the Company may be subject to significant capital requirements and operating risks; the ability of the Company to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities; volatility in the market price of shares in the capital of the Company; the Company’s novel business model; the risk that the clinical application of treatments that demonstrate positive results in a study may not be positively replicated or that such test results may not be predictive of actual treatment results or may not result in the adoption of such treatments by providers; the state of the capital markets; the availability of funds and resources to pursue operations; decline of reimbursement rates; dependence on few payors; possible new drug discoveries; dependence on key suppliers; granting of permits and licenses in a highly regulated business; competition; low profit market segments; disruptions in or attacks (including cyber-attacks) on the Company’s information technology, internet, network access or other voice or data communications systems or services; the evolution of various types of fraud or other criminal behavior to which the Company is exposed; the failure of third parties to comply with their obligations; difficulty integrating newly acquired businesses; the impact of new and changes to, or application of, current laws and regulations; the overall difficult litigation and regulatory environment; increased competition; changes in foreign currency rates; increased funding costs and market volatility due to market illiquidity and competition for funding; critical accounting estimates and changes to accounting standards, policies, and methods used by the Company; the impact of the previously disclosed restatement and correction of the Company’s previously issued financial statements; the previously disclosed identified material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and the Company’s ability to remediate that material weakness; the initiation of legal or regulatory proceedings with respect to the restatement and corrections; the adverse effects on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price, as a result of the restatement and correction process; the Company’s status as an emerging growth company and a foreign private issuer; and the occurrence of natural and unnatural catastrophic events or health epidemics or concerns, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and claims resulting from such events or concerns; as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company’s disclosure documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, including the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada available at www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.
