King Drug and Home Care grows where access is thin

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 Willis, DME director for King Drug and Home Care. “It (also) became very evident that … we needed more staff to accommodate the increasing number of referrals coming to us from other providers that were leaving the business.”

King Drug and Home Care has served western Kentucky since 1969 and now operates six locations – four with pharmacies and two with DME only. The new location, which goes by the name King Home Care, is DME only, including oxygen, CPAP and BiPAP, mobility and complex rehab technology.

With reimbursement pressure making traditional delivery harder to sustain, geography is important, says Willis. Patients leaving the hospital can now stop for walkers, wheelchairs or oxygen on the way home, rather than waiting for a service technician or driving across town.

“There's not many other locally owned DME providers out there,” she said. “I see a lot of holes in patient access,” she said.

King Drug and Home Care is also growing its complex rehab program in rural communities and looking at service niches, including respiratory, transfer systems, ramps and home modifications. Internally, Willis said the company has invested in software, intake processes, CPAP resupply and staff training to keep pace with payer requirements.

“My mission is to work with my teams and my leaders to stay a presence in our rural communities here in Kentucky,” she said. “It’s important.”