Skip to Content

Archive: May 2019


Smart Talk

E-prescribing: Eliminate guessing

May 31, 2019David Gelbard

A. In 2019, consumers have never had more transparency and efficiency when ordering items in their everyday lives. You know when those shoes you ordered on Amazon will be delivered, when the Uber driver will pick you up, and you'll get an alert from Delta if your flight is delayed. But for some reason, a patient isn't given the same basic level of transparency for the equipment they desperately need, in today's healthcare world.Currently, most caregivers still order medical equipment for patients...

David Gelbard, e-prescribing, Parachute Health


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Smart Talk

Customer financing: Offer options as advantage

May 31, 2019Tim Donovan

A. In a crowded market like medical equipment, it can be hard to stand out. As customers are faced with more choices, identifying and understanding the target audience for your products is important. Recently we completed a generational health study which shed light into how each generation pays for care. We learned that customers in each generation can struggle to pay out-of-pocket healthcare and equipment costs. When insurance coverage for equipment decreases, customers may be more inclined to...

CareCredit, Financing, Tim Donovan


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Smart Talk

Respiratory Solutions: Reduce liability, rest easy

May 31, 2019Mike Chorney

A. Firebreaks are incredibly important and inexpensive devices that can save patients' lives and reduce injuries.Crucial componentHousehold fire is an important concern for home oxygen patients. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of fires, but they can also be started by candles, gas stoves or other sources of ignition. The firebreak is a thermal fuse that stops the flow of oxygen during therapy, in the event that the downstream tubing is accidentally ignited. They are fitted to the patient's...

Home Oxygen Equipment, Mike Chorney, Sunset Healthcare Solutions


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Smart Talk

CBD: Consider quality, transparency

May 31, 2019Andrew Amoth

A. HME providers see patients daily that currently use or may benefit from hemp products. These types of suppliers are proving to be a valuable resource to the patients they serve. In an environment containing a wide variety of options, these types of customers rely on their trusted healthcare providers in selecting the solution that best fits their needs. Quality, concentration, and transparency are among the key considerations when selecting a hemp brand with which to align.Passing of the 2018...

Andrew Amoth, CBD Products, Green River Botanicals


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Vendors

Q&A: Matt Mellott: Brightree's big picture

May 31, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor

ATLANTA - Brightree went into Medtrade Spring in April following a busy end to 2018 and start to 2019. The company, which is owned by ResMed, acquired Apacheta in December and announced its latest integration with Quality Biomedical in January. Here's what CEO Matt Mellott had to say about what's next, including its newest product Advanced Analytics, a platform that highlights workflow insights, and tracks KPIs and peer benchmarking.HME News: Most recently, Brightree integrated with Quality Biomedical...

Brightree


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Business Development

Are POCs becoming modality of choice?

May 31, 2019John Andrews

Driven by growing consumer demand, portable oxygen concentrators are becoming more mainstream in the HME industry. And not only are the devices becoming the preferred modality for consumers, they are also being increasingly embraced by physicians and other respiratory clinicians, oxygen market observers say.There are various reasons for the burgeoning growth, but the dominant force seems to be high consumer demand. Patients want these units, said Frank Lazzaro, director of global product management...

3B Medical, Caire, Gas Control Equipment, Oxygen Therapy, Philips, POCs


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Mobility

Repair report: How to connect colleges, state programs to build base of repair techs

May 31, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor

PORTLAND, Ore. - As a leading advocate of the repair industry, Matthew Macpherson, ATP, is pleased that tech training and certification had an even bigger presence at the International Seating Symposium this year.But ISS, March 20-22 in Pittsburgh, is only one of many pieces that Macpherson is trying to put in place to advance the tech profession. Macpherson, director of FIOS DME Repair Training and a member of the executive oversight board of directors of The DMERT Group, which certifies repair...

CRT Repairs, International Seating Symposium (ISS)


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Mobility

Mike Osborn, all in for NRRTS

May 31, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor

PITTSBURGH - Mike Osborn, the recipient of this year's Simon Margolis Fellow Award, likes to say, “NRRTS is the best thing that ever happened to me.” Osborn, who co-owns Alliance Rehab and Medical Equipment in Ozark, Mo., with three other ATPs and who serves as the treasurer for NRRTS's executive committee, says the organization's leadership and registrants fuel his work and advocacy. “Once you work with these folks, the passion takes over,” he said. “You want to make...

Mike Osborn, NRRTS, Simon Margolis Fellow Award


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Providers

Reporter's notebook: Cash customer? ABN still gold standard

May 31, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

With more and more providers switching their focus from Medicare to cash sales, it's unsurprising that there's occasional confusion about whether an advance beneficiary notice is needed.HME News recently received an email from a small DME supplier that has not billed Medicare in four years and recently learned they still needed to complete ABNs for all Medicare beneficiaries.“We have people come into our business that have Medicare but are choosing to pay out of pocket because they don't want...

ABNs, Home Medical Equipment


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Providers

Peacock feathers and lift chair bingo: All in a day's work for HME retailers

May 31, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

From solid bets like selling lift chairs to stocking this season's hottest styles, it's all in a day's work for today's HME retailer providers they say.During a panel discussion at Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas in April, four HME providers offered their thoughts on how to build a successful retail model.Give the people what they wantWhile the traditional HME model has long been to assume the customer can't or won't pay for anything when insurance might, changes in payer policies that place more of...

Medtrade Spring 2019, Retail


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon