Provider follows patient from nursing facility to the home

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - Diversified Medical Equipment and Supplies (DMES) in April ventured into the home care sector with the launch of its new Home Care Medical Supply division.

It's a natural extension for DMES, which already offers DME and supplies to about 200 nursing homes in California, said general manager Adrian Ioja.

"Our plan is to offer the complete continuum of care," he said. "Whatever you use in the nursing home, we can offer at home."

The provider offers a full line of DME and supplies through its website, www.dmes.com. Through its two distribution centers, in Stockton and Huntington Beach, it can ship--or deliver--orders throughout the state.

"We try to be a one-stop shop," said Ioja. "There isn't anywhere we can't get a product to in a day or two."

One product category the provider prides itself on doing well is incontinence products. A nursing home administrator by trade, Ioja has seen first-hand what happens when inferior products are used. Therefore, DMES only offers higher-end brands, even to Medi-Cal patients.

"I've seen how the plastic briefs break down," he said. "We really want to do the right thing for the customer."

Medicare is about 60% percent of DMES' business, a number Ioja would like to see reduced to between 30 percent and 40 percent. With competitive bidding and increased reimbursement cuts, he says he's scared like everyone else. He thinks his business model, which keeps costs lower, will allow him to weather whatever comes along.

"Maybe we don't make money on the insurance piece," said Ioja. "But, if we can retain that customer because we have good customer service, why would they want to go somewhere else?"