Archive: May 2026
High gas prices squeeze HME providers, but most aren’t adjusting operations – yet
May 29, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Nearly 80% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say high gas prices are having a moderate to significant negative impact on their businesses, putting further pressure on already thin margins.
While prices vary by geography, the national average was $4.42 per gallon at press time, compared to $3.16 a year ago – an increase of nearly 40%, according to AAA.
“Our profit margins were already slim before, so higher fuel costs have further reduced margins, increased...
Dreem Health wants to build a better sleep journey
May 29, 2026Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
NEW YORK – Dreem Health has joined Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector service, a move the virtual sleep clinic says will help capture the growing momentum of patients actively seeking diagnosis and treatment.
Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector service offers health plan eligibility checks for online users searching for products related to sleep and sleep health.
“If they are eligible, they are guided through a dedicated enrollment flow and then proceed to potentially...
Accessibility Conference builds traction in three-city debut
May 29, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
CHICAGO – The Abilities International Accessibility Conference will have its final stop of the year in Chicago June 11-12 and all signs point to the inaugural conference returning in multiple cities in 2027, says Katy Roberts.
About 220 complex rehab technology (CRT) professionals attended the Accessibility Conference in Los Angeles in January and about 250 attended in New York in April, says Roberts, managing director of Raccoon Media Group, which hosts the conference as part of the Abilities...
King Drug and Home Care grows where access is thin
May 29, 2026HME News Staff
OWENSBORO, Ky. – King Drug and Home Care’s newest location puts DME closer to where patients in Owensboro are already receiving care.
Located near the hospital, doctor’s offices and a retail center, the new East-side location gives patients and referral sources another access point in a market where reimbursement pressure, consolidation and provider exits have made convenience harder to maintain.
“Being close to the hospital seemed to be a no-brainer,” said Amy...
In brief: Latest UHC-Synapse deal, Dexcom stolen sensors, WeOxy debut
May 29, 2026HME News Staff
SKOKIE, Ill. – UnitedHealthcare has announced that Synapse Health will manage durable medical equipment (DME) orders for certain UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans in additional states beginning Sept. 1, 2026.
For individual HMO & PPO plans, Synapse Health will manage DME for members in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
For chronic special needs plans (C-SNP), Synapse...
In brief: Competitive bidding campaign, Sanford Health Equip acquisition, VGM chief medical officer
May 29, 2026HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – A group of national patient advocacy organizations has launched “The High Cost of Low Bids,” a campaign urging policymakers to stop the inclusion of urological and ostomy supplies in Medicare’s competitive bidding program.
The campaign responds to a decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to include these supplies in the CBP, warning that applying a lowest-bid purchasing model to clinically complex, highly individualized products could...
AAHomecare people news: A milestone, a new role and a new hire
May 28, 2026HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Gordon Barnes, senior director of communications for AAHomecare, will retire June 5 after being with the association for more than 20 years. Over two decades, Barnes has written more than 1,500 member communications, hosted hundreds of webinars with industry experts, and coordinated more than 3,000 Capitol Hill meetings and thousands of emails and calls to Congress, according to AAHomecare. “Gordon’s deep policy knowledge, sharp writing, and strong commitment to our...
WeOxy steps into HME channel, taps industry vet to lead sales
May 28, 2026HME News Staff
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – WeOxy has soft launched the WeOxy Q5, its next-gen portable oxygen concentrator (POC), and appointed industry veteran John Stelzner as vice president of sales. The company is offering qualified DME providers the opportunity to request a WeOxy Q5 at no cost to evaluate with their own patients.
About John Stelzner
Stelzner brings decades of respiratory and HME industry experience, including as vice president of sales, Eastern U.S., at Philips Respironics; vice president...
UHC, Synapse Health expand DME agreement to Northeast
May 28, 2026HME News Staff
SKOKIE, Ill. – UnitedHealthcare has announced that Synapse Health will manage durable medical equipment (DME) orders for certain UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans in additional states beginning Sept. 1, 2026.
For individual HMO & PPO plans, Synapse Health will manage DME for members in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
For chronic special needs plans (C-SNP), Synapse...
From Compliance to Growth: VGM Supports Every Part of Your HME Business
May 27, 2026Tyler Mahncke, SVP of Membership, VGM & Associates
Sponsored Content:
Providers face mounting reimbursement pressure, staffing shortages, payer complexity, and rising operating costs, all while margins continue to tighten. At the same time, expectations for service, speed, and patient outcomes keep increasing.
For many HME businesses, the challenge is not simply keeping pace. It is finding a way to grow without putting more strain on their bottom line. That is why providers need a strategic partner like VGM that understands the day-to-day realities...