Project HERO (Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization) was founded in 1996 as a directive from the local Fargo, ND, chapter of the Association of Operating Room Nurses. The challenge was to find a way to deal with the large amount of surplus healthcare supplies from local hospitals.

Tons of medical supplies go to waste each day in the U.S. while hospitals in developing countries endure shortages of everyday items like syringes and surgical gloves. So, initially, recycling efforts focused on collecting, storing and packaging supplies like these to give to medical mission teams going to developing countries.

In 1998, Project HERO was incorporated as a licensed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the state of North Dakota. At that point, HERO included redistribution of durable medical equipment and healthcare supplies to people in the area that needed low-cost (or no-cost) medical supplies.

HERO partners with more than 104 agencies throughout Minnesota and North Dakota to provide access to free or low-cost medical equipment and supplies. There are no restrictions to access HERO equipment and supplies, including geographic location. The only requirement is a healthcare need.

The nonprofit’s vision: All viable excess medical supplies and equipment are handled in an environmentally safe manner promoting recycling through redistribution.
HERO supplied 38 global missions in 2009 with 85,000 pounds of medical supplies. And in 2010, 55 global medical missions received 85,100 pounds of medical supplies as HERO won the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber award for the 2010 Small Not-For-Profit of the Year. HERO also kept more than 42 tons of usable medical equipment and supplies from disposal in area landfills that year.

Since the group’s inventory is based upon the donations it receives, the stock varies from day to day. Some typical items:

Durable medical equipment
Walkers, folding with wheels
Rollater walkers with seat and brakes
Quad and wooden canes
Wheelchairs
Hospital beds
Bath chairs
Supplies
Vinyl exam gloves, small, medium, extra large
Personal hygiene items (body wash, shampoo, etc.)
Mouthwash and toothbrushes
Sheets and blankets
Syringe needles
Band-aids
Hydrogen peroxide

What is gene testing? How does it work?

Watch an exceptional video about Genetics on you tube, called ΓΕΝΕΤΙΚΗ

Gene tests (also called DNA-based tests), the newest and most sophisticated of the techniques used to test for genetic disorders, involve direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic examination of stained or fluorescent chromosomes. Genetic tests are used for several reasons, including:

• carrier screening, which involves identifying unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a gene for a disease that requires two copies for the disease to be expressed
• preimplantation genetic diagnosis (see the side bar, Screening Embryos for Disease)
• prenatal diagnostic testing
• newborn screening
• presymptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders such as Huntington’s disease
• presymptomatic testing for estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers and Alzheimer’s disease
• confirmational diagnosis of a symptomatic individual
• forensic/identity testing

In gene tests, scientists scan a patient’s DNA sample for mutated sequences. A DNA sample can be obtained from any tissue, including blood. For some types of gene tests, researchers design short pieces of DNA called probes, whose sequences are complementary to the mutated sequences. These probes will seek their complement among the three billion base pairs of an individual’s genome. If the mutated sequence is present in the patient’s genome, the probe will bind to it and flag the mutation. Another type of DNA testing involves comparing the sequence of DNA bases in a patient’s gene to a normal version of the gene. Cost of testing can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the sizes of the genes and the numbers of mutations tested.

There is an autstanding article on Gene Testing, at Human Genome Progect

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a test that screens for genetic flaws among embryos used in in vitro fertilization. With PGD, DNA samples from embryos created in-vitro by the combination of a mother’s egg and a father’s sperm are analyzed for gene abnormalities that can cause disorders. Fertility specialists can use the results of this analysis to select only mutation-free embryos for implantation into the mother’s uterus.

Before PGD, couples at higher risks for conceiving a child with a particular disorder would have to initiate the pregnancy and then undergo chorionic villus sampling in the first trimester or amniocentesis in the second trimester to test the fetus for the presence of disease. If the fetus tested positive for the disorder, the couple would be faced with the dilemma of whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. With PGD, couples are much more likely to have healthy babies, Although PGD has been practiced for years, only a few specialized centers worldwide offer this procedure.

Thats it about Gene Testing for the moment we will be back with more soon.

The best testing is always been done by a professional doctor, specialized in diabetes, you can find one at ΔΙΑΒΗΤΟΛΟΓΟΣ and you can read about the specialized test whose medical definition is ΚΑΜΠΥΛΗ ΖΑΧΑΡΟΥ. Testing at home with the right equipment is the next best thing.

Home blood sugar testing can be used to monitor your blood sugar levels. Talk with your doctor about how often to check your blood sugar. How often you need to check it depends on your diabetes treatment, how well your diabetes is controlled, and your overall health. People who take insulin to control their diabetes may need to check their blood sugar level several times a day. Testing blood sugar at home is often called home blood sugar monitoring or self-testing.

Some types of glucose meters can store hundreds of glucose readings. This allows you to review collected glucose readings over time and to predict glucose levels at certain times of the day. It also allows you to quickly spot any major changes in your glucose levels. Some of these systems also allow information to be saved to a computer so that it can be turned into a graph or another easily analyzed form.

Some newer models of home glucose meters can communicate with insulin pumps. Insulin pumps are machines that deliver insulin through the day. The meter helps to decide how much insulin you need to keep your blood sugar level in your target range. Insulin is an important hormone, you can read more about it at Insulin From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia or in Greek at ΙΝΣΟΥΛΙΝΗ
Why It Is Done

A home blood glucose test is an accurate way to measure your blood sugar level at the time of testing. If you have diabetes, testing your blood glucose levels at home provides information about:

Your blood sugar level. It is important to know when your blood sugar is high or low, to prevent emergency situations from developing. It is also important to treat consistently high blood sugar levels so you can decrease your chances of developing heart, blood vessel, and nerve complications from diabetes.
How much insulin to take before each meal. If you take rapid-acting or short-acting insulin before meals, the blood sugar test results can help you determine how much insulin to take before each meal. If your blood sugar level is high, you may need extra insulin. If your blood sugar level is low, you may need to eat before you take any insulin.
How exercise, diet, stress, and being ill affect your blood sugar levels.

Home blood sugar testing also may be used to:

Determine an initial insulin dose and schedule or to adjust the insulin doses or schedule.
Test blood sugar levels in people who have symptoms of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

Maine home medical equipment and services (HME) providers support H.R. 1041, a bipartisan bill in Congress to repeal the controversial Medicare “competitive” bidding program for home medical equipment and services.

“If competitive bidding is not repealed, both Maine businesses and Medicare patients will suffer. Despite its misleading name, the design of this program actually limits competition and access to homecare products and services. Four critical suppliers have already closed their doors due to cuts and increased regulation, and the program has yet to be implemented in Maine,” said Jim Greatorex, President of Black Bear Medical, Inc. “We cannot sit by idly and wait for patients to experience potentially life-threatening problems before we stop this runaway train. We need to sound the alarm now and tell Congress to implement H.R. 1041 to ensure that the health of our seniors and those living with disabilities is not put at risk.”

The bidding program affects millions of Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who require oxygen therapy, enteral nutrients (tube feeding), continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) and respiratory assistive devices, power wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and support surfaces, and mail-order diabetic supplies. The program was implemented on January 1 in nine metropolitan areas and it begins in an additional 91 areas later this year. The first nine areas are Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, Miami, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Riverside, California.

The bill to repeal the bidding program, H.R. 1041, has 97 cosponsors so far in the House of Representatives with broad support from both Republicans and Democrats, including Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Me.).

Consumer Groups, Market Experts Also Back Repeal Of Bid Program

A number of patient advocacy and consumer groups also support H.R. 1041 including the ALS Association, the Brain Injury Association of America, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the International Ventilator Users Network, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Emphysema and COPD Association, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, and United Spinal Association, among others.

The legislation to repeal the bidding program was introduced after hundreds of patients and providers reported problems with the program since its January 1 implementation. By design, the bidding program severely restricts the number of companies that are allowed to provide the equipment and services subject to bidding. Since the bidding program began on January 1, patients, clinicians, and homecare providers have reported:

- Difficulty finding a local equipment or service provider;
- Delays in obtaining medically required equipment and services;
- Longer than necessary hospital stays due to trouble discharging patients to home-based care;
- Far fewer choices for patients when selecting equipment or providers;
- Reduced quality; and
- Confusing or incorrect information provided by Medicare.

In January, the American Association for Homecare shared with Medicare a number of problems and concerns related to the bidding program including:

- Medicare awarded contracts to companies that are bankrupt.
- Medicare awarded contracts to companies that are not licensed to provide the specific medical items or services.
- Medicare awarded contracts to companies with serious credit problems.
- Medicare distributed incorrect information about the contract winners.

In a November, 2010 letter, 167 leading economists and auction experts, including two Nobel laureates, warned Congress that Medicare’s bidding design for medical equipment will fail. Those experts found that the bidding program designed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has irreparable flaws that will prevent it from achieving its objectives of low cost and high quality equipment and services. Under the CMS-designed system, the bidding companies are not bound by their bids, which undermines the credibility of the process and encourages “low-ball” bids that create an unsustainable process and threaten the long-term viability of the program.

Ultimately, the experts told Congress, the bid design provides “strong incentives to distort bids away from [actual] costs,” and lacks transparency, which is “unacceptable in a government auction and is in sharp contrast to well-run government auctions.” The experts’ letters conclude, “This collection of problems suggests that the program over time may degenerate into a ‘race to the bottom’ in which suppliers become increasingly unreliable, product and service quality deteriorates, and supply shortages become common. Contract enforcement would become increasingly difficult and fraud and abuse would grow… Implementation of the current design will result in a failed government program.”

This new US Med-Equip sales and service division, based in Fargo, North Dakota, will offer a wide range of quality refurbished monitoring and imaging medical capital equipment to hospitals and clinics nationwide. Little, manager of the new division, and Lenzmeier have in-depth experience in the medical monitoring and imaging capital equipment sector encompassing sophisticated products serving high acuity levels.

The timing is right for this expansion, according to Gurmit Bhatia, president of US Med-Equip. “Hospital and clinic operators are facing shrinking budgets in the current economy and see the advantages of purchasing quality refurbished products from companies they can depend on,” he said. “They recognize the cost savings can be as much as 50 percent and can keep their existing equipment fleet in service longer.”

Formerly with DMS Topline Medical, Little and Lenzmeier have handled the sales, service and acquisition of sophisticated monitoring and imaging medical capital equipment for 30 years and 20 years, respectively. Both professionals have established working relationships with leading manufacturers such as Phillips, GE, Siemens and Spacelabs Healthcare and each began his career as an equipment technician.

The duo also works with hospitals nationwide in acquiring used equipment. Little was one of the founders of Topline Medical, a firm specializing in the acquisition, sales and service of medical monitoring and imaging equipment, which was sold in 2003 to DMS, a diagnostic medical equipment supplier. He continued working for the new company prior to joining U.S. Med-Equip.

“We are delighted to welcome these two distinguished professionals to US Med-Equip,” said Bhatia. “Their collective knowledge of the technology behind medical imaging and monitoring will greatly enhance the expertise and service we can provide our customers and the patients they serve.”

The range of product offerings in US Med-Equip’s new monitoring and imaging division includes devices such as defibrillators, EKG machines, fetal and maternal monitors, ultrasound imaging systems and telemetry devices.

Little noted that offering refurbished telemetry units is especially timely since the bandwidth for new devices was recently changed by the FCC. He explained that, by replacing lost or damaged units with refurbished equipment, hospitals are able to extend the life of their overall system.

For all US Med-Equip products, the company’s comprehensive service of reconditioned devices includes maintenance, repairs, safety and performance inspections, and decontamination. These operations are handled by trained technicians at its main service and distribution facility in Houston.

“The commitment to quality and to being creative in meeting the customers’ needs is a key reason I joined US Med-Equip,” said Little. “The company moves quickly and empowers its team to serve customers—whatever it takes.”

Based in Houston, US Med-Equip has 11 offices in five states, including five offices in Texas, three in Louisiana and single office locations in North Dakota, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The privately-held company continues a brisk pace of rapid expansion, built on its reputation for leadership in technology and dedication to service. Among its innovations, the company provides customers with its proprietary SMARTS technology system, which enables efficient RFID tracking of rental equipment location and usage.

About US Med-Equip

Houston-based US Med-Equip is an innovative healthcare company specializing in the rental, sales and service of movable biomedical equipment for high acuity medical settings. Widely known for its 24/7 personalized attention to customer needs, US Med-Equip provides medical facilities across the country with effective options in the management of their biomedical equipment leasing, purchase and maintenance. Value-added customer services include online account access, RFID equipment tracking and other advanced information technology solutions, as well as flexible payment options. Dedication to patient care and to promoting the healing process is at the core of the US Med-Equip culture and drives daily operations focused on quality healthcare solutions from its 11 offices in five states.

The newly recruited physicists will oversee the installation of the machines, which is expected to be complete by the end of the week. Commissioning of the linear accelerators could take up to six months, at which point the physicist team will be responsible for ongoing quality control.

The new equipment was fully paid for by the Ministry of Health.

The cancer program also recently welcomed two radiation oncologists and two medical oncologists.

Hospital officials say radiation therapy should be available in less than a year.

The cancer care centre will include 34 chemotherapy treatment spaces, which are expected to log more than 65,000 patient visits in the first year.

The bidding program affects millions of Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who require oxygen therapy, enteral nutrients (tube feeding), continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) and respiratory assistive devices, power wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and support surfaces, and mail-order diabetic supplies. The program was implemented on January 1 in nine metropolitan areas and it begins in an additional 91 areas later this year. The first nine areas are Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, Miami, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Riverside, California.

“Homecare has always been a cost-effective means of delivering care to seniors and patients,” said Calcaterra. “But the government is overlooking the fact that homecare is less expensive than hospital visits and nursing home stays. The ‘competitive’ bidding program is being marketed as a cost-savings tool, when in reality the only thing it will do is cost seniors and patients their health, and taxpayers more money in the long run to pay for increased hospitalizations. We cannot chance the well-being of America’s seniors for political play.”

The bill to repeal the bidding program, H.R. 1041, has 98 cosponsors so far in the House of Representatives with broad support from both Republicans and Democrats. Homecare providers in Montana are also meeting with Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester’s staffs to discuss the need for a similar bill to repeal competitive bidding in Senate.

CONSUMER GROUPS, MARKET EXPERTS ALSO BACK REPEAL OF BID PROGRAM

A number of patient advocacy and consumer groups also support H.R. 1041 including the ALS Association, the Brain Injury Association of America, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the International Ventilator Users Network, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Emphysema and COPD Association, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, and United Spinal Association, among others.

The legislation to repeal the bidding program was introduced after hundreds of patients and providers reported problems with the program since its January 1 implementation. By design, the bidding program severely restricts the number of companies that are allowed to provide the equipment and services subject to bidding. Since the bidding program began on January 1, patients, clinicians, and homecare providers have reported:

* Difficulty finding a local equipment or service provider;
* Delays in obtaining medically required equipment and services;
* Longer than necessary hospital stays due to trouble discharging patients to home-based care;
* Far fewer choices for patients when selecting equipment or providers;
* Reduced quality; and
* Confusing or incorrect information provided by Medicare.

In January, the American Association for Homecare shared with Medicare a number of problems and concerns related to the bidding program including:

* Medicare awarded contracts to companies that are bankrupt.
* Medicare awarded contracts to companies that are not licensed to provide the specific medical items or services.
* Medicare awarded contracts to companies with serious credit problems.
* Medicare distributed incorrect information about the contract winners.

In a November 2010 letter, 167 leading economists and auction experts, including two Nobel laureates, warned Congress that Medicare’s bidding design for medical equipment will fail. Those experts found that the bidding program designed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has irreparable flaws that will prevent it from achieving its objectives of low cost and high quality equipment and services. Under the CMS-designed system, the bidding companies are not bound by their bids, which undermines the credibility of the process and encourages “low-ball” bids that create an unsustainable process and threaten the long-term viability of the program.

Ultimately, the experts told Congress, the bid design provides “strong incentives to distort bids away from [actual] costs,” and lacks transparency, which is “unacceptable in a government auction and is in sharp contrast to well-run government auctions.” The experts’ letters conclude, “This collection of problems suggests that the program over time may degenerate into a ‘race to the bottom’ in which suppliers become increasingly unreliable, product and service quality deteriorates, and supply shortages become common. Contract enforcement would become increasingly difficult and fraud and abuse would grow… Implementation of the current design will result in a failed government program.”

“I am very pleased with this website and I’m excited about the next steps in the evolution of APNEA Rx that it represents,” stated Jeff Sarvis, President and CEO. “This is another important step in the launch of our multi-faceted Backstage Solutions operating platform. Our clients, franchisees and investors will continue to see their share of the estimated $100 billion DME industry grow as we move through each phase of the platform’s deployment.”

About Southern Home Equipment, Inc.
Southern Home Medical Equipment, Inc. is a holding company with a focus on servicing the needs of the healthcare industry. The Company outsources quality health care professionals that address national staffing shortages in hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes and other medical facilities. Personnel are available 24/7/365 and include: RNs, LPNs, CNAs, RTs, Billing Specialist, Customer Service Specialist, Delivery Techs and Marketing Reps. With contractual agreements with partner businesses in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Florence and Lake Hartwell, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Baltimore, Maryland; Dunwoody, Georgia; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Southern Home Medical is leveraging the success of these business models to expand sales opportunities in these areas with health care services, medical staffing and durable medical equipment needs. For more information, visit www.southernhomemedical.com.

Forward-Looking Statement
The statements in the press release that relate to the Company’s expectations with regard to the future impact on the Company’s results from acquisitions or actions in development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements in this document may also contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “may,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and factors include, but are not limited to, future capital needs, changes, and delays in product development plans and schedules, or market acceptance.