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Wow. First place for the week. Thanks VMC board for (4 out of 6) of my picks. A sheep I'll proudly be... just herd me to the promised land!
Zynex's business does not have anything to do with the amount of reimbursement for the treatment associated with Zynex's products. The therapists and clinics are the businesses getting screwed by reimbursement cutbacks!
Thinking through this further though, if Medicare all of a sudden said that they're drastically reducing - or stopping altogether - the reimbursement, then, and only then, would ZYNX suffer. It would take a HUGE cut in reimbursement for therapists to stop using TENS.
In my opinion only. Thanks-
Uh oh Len. You didn't knock on wood!
TFL: You're the dumbass?? I posted it!!
My fault everyone... I simply did a Google search using "florida governor insurance" as the terms... the third link was the Washington Post story, and I read the date too quickly to realize it was last year... not to mention the 25th instead of today - the 24th!
Only consolation is that I'm in good company with Hank... but man my credibility is shot... All I have left now is my golf swing...
Hank, I can't remember why I thought to even do that Google search. How did you think to search for, and find, the article??
UVE: Uh-oh...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012501183.html
Hopefully I'm reading this wrong!
I for one am buying... too cheap here @ $1.15. EOM
Know Pioneer???
Good site for DD. Let us know if you find anything of particular interest...
http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/CompanyDetail.aspx?CompanyID=94995270&cs=QGFqYNGuU&QueryID=3fa604c9-4fca-41ae-9ec4-ca05e0494801
MOSH.ob: How my lawyer sees it:
I asked my lawyer to take a quick look at the MOSH message board/I-Box and gave him a link to the Harris County Courthouse. Here's what he thinks:
"Based on the little info I had, I do think MOSH probably has a strong case. In their answers to the complaint, both Pioneer and Woodside appear to be pointing the finger at JPM as their chief defense. That tells me they may not have a strong defense to the actual allegations- rather, they are simply saying MOSH doesn't have the right to bring the claim and that JPM should have brought it instead. The fact that JPM is now talking settlement with MOSH (with ouster as Trustee as a condition) is good news for MOSH- and not good news for Pioneer and Woodside, as evidenced by their opposition to the conditional settlement agreement. I agree with that the judge will probably approve the agreement, which, even if modified, is probably not good for Defendants Pioneer and Woodside. The fact that their scapegoat is now working toward settlement with MOSH is not good for them, and likely their case starts to disintegrate post-settlement.
Regardless of what happens with the JPM settlement, though, I would expect Woodside and Pioneer to follow with motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment (unless they have already been filed- hard to say without access to the docket). If such motions have already been filed and denied, global settlement is likely. If not, there could be a fairly long ways to go before any conclusion. Still lots of questions- discovery supposedly closed in February of last year, yet based on the message board it appears there are ongoing discovery disputes. Also there was a supposed trial date of May 2007- obviously that has been pushed out, but to when?
If you have access to any more docs, like motions to dismiss, etc., or orders denying the same, I'd be interested in them. Otherwise, based on what I have access to that's about all I can say. Interesting stuff- and one thing to remember is that with state court judges, anything can happen."
How my lawyer sees it: (Valenspros mentioned too)
I asked my lawyer to take a quick look at our message board/I-Box and gave him a link to the Harris County Courthouse. Here's what he thinks:
"Based on the little info I had, I do think MOSH probably has a strong case. In their answers to the complaint, both Pioneer and Woodside appear to be pointing the finger at JPM as their chief defense. That tells me they may not have a strong defense to the actual allegations- rather, they are simply saying MOSH doesn't have the right to bring the claim and that JPM should have brought it instead. The fact that JPM is now talking settlement with MOSH (with ouster as Trustee as a condition) is good news for MOSH- and not good news for Pioneer and Woodside, as evidenced by their opposition to the conditional settlement agreement. I agree with volenspros that the judge will probably approve the agreement, which, even if modified, is probably not good for Defendants Pioneer and Woodside. The fact that their scapegoat is now working toward settlement with MOSH is not good for them, and likely their case starts to disintegrate post-settlement.
Regardless of what happens with the JPM settlement, though, I would expect Woodside and Pioneer to follow with motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment (unless they have already been filed- hard to say without access to the docket). If such motions have already been filed and denied, global settlement is likely. If not, there could be a fairly long ways to go before any conclusion. Still lots of questions- discovery supposedly closed in February of last year, yet based on the message board it appears there are ongoing discovery disputes. Also there was a supposed trial date of May 2007- obviously that has been pushed out, but to when?
If you have access to any more docs, like motions to dismiss, etc., or orders denying the same, I'd be interested in them. Otherwise, based on what I have access to that's about all I can say. Interesting stuff- and one thing to remember is that with state court judges, anything can happen."
Mary Carter part 2:
Thanks Mike for the update... if true, the section re: "Releasing JPM from settlement and performance..." is simply the resolution to the Mary Carter issue.
As a few have already said, it does nothing to "stop" the settlement from moving forward.
Again, I'm not a lawyer. But I play one on TV.
Here's what I thought earlier today. I'm sure everyone is *anxious* to read more of my opinions:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=26036227
Mary Carter argument:
Just read the document regarding PXD's latest attempts to hold off the "JPM out as trustee" agreement.
In my opinion, the plaintiffs/judge will have to at least address some of these points... but it is NOT a complete barrier to MOSH being able to name a new trustee so that it can proceed against PXD. I mean, shouldn't PXD have brought this argument forth a long time ago... instead of a day before the hearing???
I'm not a lawyer - so this is just my opinion.
Also referenced by Burp and MikeWhite:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=26023901&txt2find=mary
Reminds me of 1/11/08's Dilbert
Boss: This design will never work in the real world.
Dilbert: That design is already widely used in the real world... I can come back later if you need time to concoct additional uninformed criticisms.
zynx: Let me be clearer than I was in the previous post...
* TENS units are easy to produce and put together and there are many available on the market (with a few "big boys" controlling most of the market).
* One company's TENS unit would not work "better than" another company's - simply because the efficacy is dependant on the patient and the settings of the Unit. (This is where we, the skilled PT's with knowledge of neurophysiology, pain types, electrophysiology, etc come in).
So to me, whether or not TENS works is irrelevant when we discuss ZYNX as a growth company. There was a TENS market the size of "X" before ZYNX and there will continue to be that market after ZYNX as long as insurance companies cover the modality.
The exciting thing about ZYNX is its market advantages over the other companies. In other words, it's taking market share, rather than serving a new/growing market. Of course, maybe I'm wrong, and ZYNX's product works better than others... maybe it's "user friendliness" makes it "better"??
Dr. Seeksup, DPT
zynx/TENS: another therapist's point of view...
I'm a PT as well and would echo the previous comments about ZYNX, especially the therapist's post to which Hank referred.
One more important point though: As long as insurance companies continue to cover home TENS units (especially Medicare - because as Medicare goes so go all the other insurances), there will be a strong market for them.
In other words, ZYNX's market advantages over the other TENS providers are strong (as voiced by Hank's therapist)... but if Medicare cuts back their coverage determinations on TENS units, you can say hasta to the lot of them...
Watch this and wonder:
"The big motor companies really could not have come up with something like this... 10 years ago????"
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhw5b_iK6Olhg
Mike, besides SSK you're in for some other competition. I deliberately tried to become "Mr Sheep" based on the VMC board's chatter over the last few months. I'm sure you can guess my 5 PSL8 stocks (sans wildcard).
Why do that, you ask? Well if I can simply show Mr Sheep's usual positive returns with the 5 earning companies, but then absolutely kill with the Wildcard, I think I can win this thing.
The wildcard is MOSH.ob.
Good luck; this ought to be fun...
Wade, value traps:
In the past there's been great discussion/explanation on this board of the "value trap" phenomenon that occurs (on a macro level) during an economic downturn.
In short, your stocks might look great NOW on a P/E and growth basis, but once the P/E's and growth are effected by the economic downturn, they do not look so good.
Suppose it all depends on whether or not you believe: 1) The downturn will in fact occur, 2) The downturn will affect your individual holdings.
Just my thoughts-
Hank: May I suggest this is a reason grp316 bought CXPO?
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/replies.asp?msg=25588969
He's wisely joined the ranks of Bobwins followers...
UVICF: Mike et al:
Have they discussed the continued growth in LASIK surgery and how it might effect their contact-lens business? Wish I could find a chart showing the growth in the numbers of LASIK surgery performed, but the best I could find is anecdotal evidence. From one of the articles:
Lasik technology has improved so much since it was introduced in 1995 that eye surgeons now can treat the vast majority of patients interested in laser eye surgery.
"Whether the person is near- sighted, farsighted or has an astigmatism, we have options now," says Dr. Jimmy Jackson, an optometrist and co-owner of InSight Lasik in Lafayette.
Beyer Vision Center and InSight Lasik are two of a growing number of laser eye surgery centers in Colorado that offer custom (also called wavefront-guided) Lasik, a procedure that enables a surgeon to reshape a patient's corneas.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/health/article/0,2777,DRMN_23956_5712131,00.html
Just wondering; thanks-
SVLF: hweb, SVL has been a past favorite of mine, but now I'm just not sure about the business (their earnings/growth forecasts) for two related reasons:
* Housing market. If people can't pay the mortgages they have for their own home, I doubt they'll flock to timeshare agreements.
* Real estate market. Much of SVL's value is found in their extensive real estate; not sure how well this market will hold.
Anyway, if they CAN continue to grow in these conditions, they'll prove their merit! I'll continue to follow it... Thanks
Our Medical Director...
just called Zynex Med to ask about the Neuromove. He's interested in it because I've been wondering how we can incorporate the Neuromove's theories into our current Rehab equipment, or if we have to look into the Neuromove itself. Here's a quick synopsis of the info we found from a company rep (not the "Investor Relations" guy):
* the Neuromove theory is an old one and many have tried to make it work. Their unit that may have finally made it work; our facility may soon get one to try it out (the company will call us back with the details on this).
* The Neuromove is in "22 of the 25 top Rehab Facilities in the country". We didn't find out who's rating list it was.
* The orders and EPS are growing fast primarily due to the TENS units. We didn't find out exactly why, but suspect many on this board already know their marketing strategy (it appears they're going after individual physician offices and rehab offices because of their growing sales force).
If any more info comes to me from the company, or if we do get a Neuromove to try, I'll let the board know... Peace..
Which companies will benefit the most from this?
Most significantly, beginning with Oct. 1, 2008, discharges, the rule eliminates additional Medicare payments for eight selected conditions including in-patient pressure ulcers, certain injuries (e.g., fractures), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs), vascular catheter-associated infections (BSIs), certain surgical site infections (SSIs), objects left in surgery, air embolism and blood incompatibility. The rule is expected to drive quality improvement efforts in hospitals nationwide.
http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/newsreleasesdetail.jsp?productid=23434
VIVO? RPBIF?
I'm a long-time off and on lurker to the this board and respect many here... Thanks
This may be THE MOST ridiculous "F You" shirt I've seen as far as rivalries go... nonetheless, I love it!
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/12/we-burned-your-town-to-the-ground/
Wade.. do you really think that micros are "much riskier" than blue chips? I think the answer to your question is that blue chips DO NOT carry as much risk (on average) as our micro's...
I mean, a 60% growth rate YOY for a microcap could quickly turn into a 60% decline in growth the next year; with a blue chip, that is much less likely to happen.
Just my general feeling. No data to back it up.
Short squeeze next week re: Shorts having to cover?
http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2007/34-56212.pdf
I've looked for further word on the 'net about this issue, to no avail. So I'm wondering what this Board might have to offer. Thanks-
ZECCO: A couple thoughts:
It's taking a long time to transfer everything over from Scottrade to Zecco... when I was on the phone with their support he said that business was crackin', that they're always hiring more staff, and he even said "I should start up a business like this"... I was dissapointed to see they went to "10 free trades/month" from "unlimited free trades/month"... I mean, I can see them attract a bunch of new customers with Free Trades, then start charging a fee for trades ($4.50) with 1)The knowledge that they're still the cheapest around, 2) Humans are lazy and will probably not take the effort to switch back out of Zecco.
Anyway I think others here have been using Zecco and I'm about to..
ZRBA and KiK:
Here's what I noticed:
* Since mid-August, ZRBA traded about 2000 shares/day.
* The day after KiK's posted his Nsomniak challenge rationale for ZRBA it traded over 30,000 shares, the highest since May.
Coincidence? 124 people have "marked" KiK on Investorshub...
Ari: It's the same story with Medicare... back when it began (with LBJ in the '60s?) there were 8 people paying in for every 1 beneficiary... currently it's something like 4 to 1, and soon it'll be 2 to 1... Now THAT's unsustainable!
Wish there was a trade to all this!
(I hope the above facts are corect... just remembering from the health admin degree a few years back...)
Rogue: re: the Kennedy quote... personally, I wish it were true...
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:John_F._Kennedy
Gold: cl001, why not large cap gold producers?
You and your new follower, Don Coxe, (and others) have put forth some strong rationale for buying gold stocks.
To my recollection you've only mentioned the Juniors (you've mentioned that they're still undervalued relative to the large caps.)
If the strong rationale is correct, and Gold will soon go much higher, wouldn't it be safer to buy the large caps, such as AUY, AU, and KGC? I mean, the Juniors appear to be in the "exploration" stage or just beginning to produce...
(This may be just a simple "tolerance for risk" question, but you or anyone's input would be valued...) Thanks-
SSTR: Just sold at $2.75... Thanks KiK.. EOM
Countrywide Hit by Credit Market Woes
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
August 9, 2007 7:16 p.m.
Countrywide Financial Corp. faces "unprecedented disruptions" in debt and mortgage-finance markets that could hurt earnings and the company's financial condition, the Calabasas, Calif., lender said in a regulatory filing.
The company, the largest U.S. home mortgage lender in terms of loan volume, said reduced demand from investors is prompting it to retain more of its loans rather than selling them. The company also has been shoring up its finances. "While we believe we have adequate funding liquidity," it said in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, "the situation is rapidly evolving and the impact on the company is unknown."
Payments were at least 30 days late on about 20% of "nonprime" mortgages serviced by Countrywide as of June 30, up from 14% a year earlier. Nonprime includes loans to people with weak credit records and high debt in relation to their income, as well as to people who don't document their income or assets. On prime home equity loans, the delinquency rate was 3.7%, up from 1.5% a year before. For all loans, the rate was 5%, up from 3.9%.
In a sign of the growing difficulty in selling loans, Countrywide said that it transferred $1 billion of nonprime mortgages from its "held for sale" category to "held for investment" in the first half. Countrywide marked the value of those loans down to $800 million. It also decided to retain as investments, rather than sell, $700 million of prime home equity loans, marking them down to $600 million. Countrywide has said many of those home equity loans were second-lien mortgages used by people who put little or no money down in buying a house.
Write to James R. Hagerty at bob.hagerty@wsj.com
CAMH: The fact that it's from 2003 DOES NOT diminish the article's rationale. In fact, I would argue that the data since 2003 regarding risk stratification only gives credence to their questioning of the CMS guidelines re: Ejection Fraction and ICD's.
It's almost as if they presented a hypothesis, and the data since is supporting their hypothesis... their hypothesis, of course: Using EF as the primary criteria for an ICD is insufficient.
CAMH: Geoff that article appears to be from 2003... interesting that it's being floated around now on the message boards.. Thoughts? Thanks-
I just became an Ihub member..
Couldn't resist the offer of $169 for 3 years... that's only $4.72 a month!
CPHI, AOB, et al
The Investor sees a story like this and asks, "How can I use this in my stock trading?"
China executes ex-head of food and drug agency
Zheng sentenced to death in May for taking bribes to OK substandard drugs
BEIJING - China on Tuesday executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog who had become a symbol of the country’s wide-ranging problems on product safety.
Zheng Xiaoyu’s execution was confirmed by State Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Yan Jianyang at a news conference held to highlight efforts to improve China’s track record on food and drug safety.
Such cases “have brought shame to our administration and revealed serious problems. We need to seriously reflect on what lessons we can draw from such cases,” Yan said about Zheng and a separate case involving Cao Wenzhuang, the administration’s former pharmaceutical registration department director.
Zheng was sentenced to death in May for taking bribes to approve an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths and other substandard medicines. Cao was given a death sentence last month with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes and dereliction of duty.
Such suspended death sentences usually are commuted to life in prison if the convict is deemed to have reformed.
Tighter safeyy procedures
Zheng’s death sentence was unusually heavy even for China, believed to carry out more court-ordered executions than all other nations combined, and likely indicates the leadership’s determination to confront the country’s dire product safety record.
Yan said the food and drug administration was working to tighten its safety procedures and create a more transparent operating environment. But the administration acknowledged that its supervision of food and drug safety is unsatisfactory and that it has been slow to tackle the problem, but vowed to improve.
“As a developing country, China’s current food and drug safety situation is not very satisfactory because supervision of food and drug safety started late. Its foundation is weak so the supervision of food and drug safety is not easy,” it said in a statement at the start of the news conference.
China has been under pressure domestically and internationally to improve its quality controls after a series of health scares attributed to substandard Chinese products, including exported tainted food and fake drugs.
Chinese officials already have said the country faces social unrest and a further tarnished image abroad unless it improves the quality and safety of its food and medicine.
The industry regulator, the State Food and Drug Administration, has announced a series of measures to tighten safety controls and closed factories where illegal chemicals or other problems were found.
Fears abroad over Chinese-made products were sparked last year by the deaths of dozens of people in Panama who took medicine contaminated with diethylene glycol imported from China. It was passed off as harmless glycerin.
Tainted wheat gluten
In North America earlier this year, pet food containing Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine was blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats.
Since then, U.S. authorities have turned away or recalled toxic fish, juice containing unsafe color additives and popular toy trains decorated with lead paint.
Chinese-made toothpaste also has been banned in a handful of countries due to its content of diethylene glycol. However, there have been no reports of health problems stemming from the product. China has no guideline banning the chemical in toothpaste, and the government says it is harmless in small amounts.
The list of food scares within China over the past year includes drug-tainted fish, banned Sudan dye used to color egg yolks red, and pork tainted with clenbuterol, a banned feed additive.
China also has stepped up its inspections of imported products and said some U.S. products are not safe.
In the latest case, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that a shipment of sugar-free drink mix from the United States had been rejected for having too much red dye.
Last week, China’s food safety watchdog said almost 20 percent of products made for consumption within China were found to be substandard in the first half of 2007. Canned and preserved fruit and dried fish were the most problematic, primarily because of excessive bacteria and additives, the agency said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19686498/
XNN: I'll just repost the link to where the Big Anticipated Supervision Review from Victor should be found this weekend:
http://www.ak47.net/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=18&t=219467&page=6
Thanks Mike and Clever for your posts. I'll hold my small position (as a gamble) through the weekend as I think Victor will come out with a favorable review, leading to a share price pop.
I do share your skepticism in this company long term though - unless the new CEO turns the ship around.
HSOA catfight: Citron responds:
New to Citron 6/6/07- Home Solutions announced that Fireline was to receive $100 mil from Blue Diamond, a subsidiary of SD Contracting Group. We have already showed the former legal problems of Richard Holowchak from Blue Diamond.. but look at this. SD Contracting Group is registered to David Goldwasser. http://appsext8.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=3354623&p_cor...
David Goldwasser was recently released from a federal penitentary last year after being sentenced to 27 months for bank fraud. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&La...
**If we are mistaken we encourage the company to contact us immediately.
Littlejohn: Internet trading problems...
If I can paraphrase, my Scottrade branch manager explained it this way,
"With the amount of scams, naked shorting, and insider trading going on, a group of the largest online brokers came together to fight the tomfoolery. When one of us identifies a stock that displays 'suspicious trading', we, as a group, block it from our internet trades. You then have to call the broker to trade - and it shouldn't cost more than an internet trade. The broker is supposed to inform you of the suspicious trading."
I never did find out their definition of "suspicious trading".
Take the above for what it's worth.
Len, I know... didn't mean for it to be taken seriously... I mean, how could I have known the average for all contestants, without the contest being closed?