December 2019
Happy Holidays!
Happy holidays from ActivStyle! As we approach the end of 2019, the team at ActivStyle would like to take this time to say thank you. We appreciate that you trust your clients’ medical supply needs to ActivStyle. From everyone at ActivStyle, we’d like to wish you and yours happiness, health, and a new year filled with prosperity.
Health News
Mobility and Incontinence
Several physical changes that are associated with aging can impair a person’s mobility (their ability to move independently). Individuals with impaired mobility are at a greater risk for developing functional incontinence because they have trouble physically getting to the bathroom or using a bedside commode. Often, they experience leaks because they’re waiting too long for assistance. Fortunately, there are things professional and family caregivers can do to help them prevent falls and work towards improved bladder control.
Incontinence and Falls
Immobility can result from a sudden fall or accident, and this can lead to leakage. The good news is that if you can establish a good care plan with professional support, you can help improve mobility and quality of life.
Managing Mobility and Incontinence
What can you do to help someone with limited mobility? You can determine their level of leakage and toilet mobility. You can also stay aware of other issues which might be affecting their incontinence. With a proper plan, you can improve their mobility and prevent further decline.
Bathroom Diary
If you’re working with a person whose mobility is challenged, you can help to manage their leaks by keeping a Bathroom Diary for them. This can be used to record the schedule and frequency of their bathroom visits and the amount they discharge when they go. You can also record the level of leakage they’re experiencing, in order to understand what protective hygiene products are best for them. Assessing their situation will help greatly in managing and improving their situation.
Bladder Retraining Programs
Once you have a good understanding of the individual’s bathroom needs and their level of activity, you can determine whether they’re a good candidate for a toileting program and trial. Toileting programs can be helpful for keeping track of bathroom habits and determining the level of absorbency needed in their protective hygiene products.
How to Prevent Falls
Falls can be devastating and can lead to incontinence, so it’s important to minimize them. It also helps to educate the individual about the risks, and to offer them support and praise when they work hard to improve their own situation.
Equipment
It’s important to determine whether you’re using the right equipment to help mobility for those in your care, and to make sure they’re using it when in need. Canes, walkers, and bathroom equipment are helpful in keeping people safe from falls. You want to be sure they’ve been properly trained to use it, too.
Exercise
An exercise program can start anywhere – from a bed, to a chair, to walking short distances. Start slowly and plan breaks to rest. The benefits of exercise for the elderly have been well studied; it has been shown to improve cardiovascular functioning and endurance, increase muscle strength, improve balance to prevent future falls, decrease joint pain, and even to improve mood.
Assistance
Give all necessary assistance to people with poor balance or inadequate muscle strength. It’s best to support them with your arm under theirs. Don’t let them hold you – in this position, it’s hard to prevent them from falling or ease them down to the ground. If you’re helping someone with decent mobility but poor vision, you can let them hold your elbow for guidance, not support. They’ll benefit from having as much freedom as possible.
Your Help Counts
When you assist in the care and bathroom training of an individual with mobility issues, you’ll be able to improve their physical condition, their leaks, and their quality of life. This in turn, will raise their self-esteem and sense of dignity.
If you have clients dealing with incontinence, ActivStyle is your partner in patient care. Our representatives are trained to recommend appropriate products to help your client manage their incontinence and live full, dignified lives without the shame and embarrassment that often comes with being incontinent. We’ll ship their products to them every month in discreet brown boxes and follow up with them each month to make sure they need the products and to see if their needs have changed. Have peace of mind that when you put your patient in the capable hands of the ActivStyle team, that they will have the supplies they need to effectively manage their incontinence.
If you have other questions for the ActivStyle Provider Services staff, feel free to give them a call today at 855-373-5141 (Monday – Friday, 8AM-5PM Central Time). They’ll be happy to help determine the individual’s eligibility to receive supplies through ActivStyle and take a referral over the phone, or you may conveniently make referrals online.
FAQs
Q: What are the HCPC codes and pricing of our products?
A: ActivStyle bills using the standard HCPC codes for medical supplies. We are contracted with many Medicaid plans, Medicaid replacement plans, Medicare and Medicare replacement plans, and commercial insurance plans. Pricing for our products dependents on our contacts with individual insurance plans. We can supply specific pricing and HCPC codes upon request, based on the insurance, and client needs. TO provide the correct information, we need to know the name of the insurance, the client’s ID/policy number, the items being requested, and quantities of products being ordered.
Q: Who is responsible for getting the insurance authorizations for healthcare supplies?
A: ActivStyle employs a team of authorization specialists experienced in the protocols and requirements for obtaining authorization from the payer. Our knowledgeable staff will contact the payer and the ordering physician, when applicable, to verify coverage and obtain authorization for products.
If you have other questions for the ActivStyle staff, feel free to call toll-free at 855-373-5141, Monday thru Friday, 8AM to 5PM, Central Time. We want to make your life easy, so you can provide the best service and information to those you serve.
Product News
ActivStyle Partners with First Quality
The team at ActivStyle is excited to announce that we have partnered with First Quality® to provide our customers with the very best incontinence products available. Since 1989, First Quality has worked with healthcare professionals and users to develop innovations that offer exceptional comfort, absorbency, odor protection, skin health, and discretion.
Baby and Youth
Product conversions began this past fall for pediatric patients who receive baby diapers and youth pant products. These customers are now receiving the Cuties Essentials™ diapers and Sleep Overs by Cuties. These premium incontinence products represent a significant upgrade for our pediatric patients. Cuties are designed to move with the child because of a comfortable all-around fit. Dri-Guard super-absorbent core helps stop leaks before they start. The product’s soft and gentle hypoallergenic inner liner is enhanced with Vitamin E and Aloe to promote skin wellness. Cuties does not contain latex or fragrance and is elemental chlorine free. Moving to First Quality® manufactured products also provides more sizing options to better serve our growing number of pediatric patients.
Adult Products
Shortly after January 2020, most of our adult patients will also get a product upgrade in the form of a renewed Rely® product line and Prevail® products.
Rely®
Our private label brand, Rely®, will now be manufactured by First Quality®. Customers will notice new retail-style, contemporary product packaging to compliment the brand. This change will provide customers who receive Rely® briefs and protective underwear with a significant upgrade in product quality and performance. Enhanced features include breathable and cloth-like fabric, fast absorbent core technology, odor guard, and many other features for superior performance and a comfortable, discreet fit. Also included in this brand refresh is the Rely® branded underpad, used to protect beds and other furniture from leaks. Customers will appreciate that Rely® products are all manufactured in the USA.
Prevail®
You may already be familiar with First Quality’s Prevail® brand that provides unsurpassed protection and comfort allowing people with incontinence to live better and feel more confident. Prevail is well-known as one of the most reliable brands of adult incontinence products. ActivStyle customers who currently receive Attends® products will be upgraded to a corresponding Prevail® product. This product conversion will include products like bladder control pads, booster pads, male guards, pant liners, belted shields, and wipes. Additionally, Prevail® products are manufactured in the USA.
If you have questions about the new products, please contact an ActivStyle Provider Services representative at 855-373-5141 (Monday – Friday, 8AM-5PM Central Time). Our representatives are all manufacturer-trained on these new products. They will be happy to assist you and answer your questions.
Working with ActivStyle
Wouldn’t it be great if you spent less time mired in case-related paperwork and details and more time helping those who need you?
ActivStyle is a full-service provider of high-quality, high-value home medical supplies serving thousands of practitioners and case managers across the United States. Our product expertise and knowledge of constantly changing state and federal regulations allow us to give you — and the clients who depend on you — the level of service you need and deserve.
Founded in 1997 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ActivStyle has grown to over 200 employees compassionately serving patients in 47 states with their medical supply needs. Specializing in incontinence, urological, and ostomy supplies, our Product Experts are available to discuss product options, insurance benefits, free delivery, or product samples. Feel free to call one of our Provider Services representatives toll-free at 855-373-5141, they’ll be happy to talk with you and answer any questions you may have about our products, services, or take a referral over the phone. You may also conveniently make client or patient referrals online.
At ActivStyle, we’re dedicated to making your life easier.
