‘Not just the hospital guy’: Steve Baker looks to apply tech expertise in DME setting

YARMOUTH, Maine - Steve Baker knows the durable medical equipment (DME) business. The president of Healthcare Efficiency Associates (HCEA) has a lengthy career that includes leadership roles at Lincare, Respiratory Health Services and multiple DME startups. But he has also worked with large and small health systems across the country. Now, through a new partnership with VGM & Associates, Baker hopes to use that experience to help DME providers. 

“I don't want to be viewed as just the hospital guy – a lot of people perceive me as such,” he said. “But I'm expanding the practice to the VGM membership to offer some of that expertise, especially with technology, to make them better able to compete.” 

HME News: Will this new role consulting to VGM members improve access to expertise and solutions for smaller providers? 

Steve Baker: Yes, and now is the perfect time. You’ve got competitive bidding looming, and if you stay the same in this business, you are falling behind. There are solutions out there that can help. In my experience with these huge health systems and the resources they have, I’ve seen how they’ve done it. I’d love to bring that to some of the smaller, mom-and-pops so they can compete with hospitals and these huge nationals that are out there. 

HME: Have DME providers caught up on technology to help their businesses? 

Baker: Some have, to extent where they're literally looking at having an AI agent be the first contact with their new patients. Then you've got the other extreme where people are still receiving all of their new referrals by paper fax. Then there's everything in between those two extremes. (Some) are still struggling with how to incorporate technology into their business. I think there's a huge opportunity there and, if the industry is going to survive, they have to embrace technology to move forward.  

HME: How can you help DME providers embrace technology? 

Baker: With vendor selection. I talk to people every day about the technology. If you look at the variety in the solutions, it's very, very wide and the costs are all over the place. Competitive bidding is probably going to bring further margin compression and people need technology to be able to counter that. And with AI and all the different solutions that are out there, I'm staying current and that's where we can really make hay for the DME dealer – helping them with technology choices to be more efficient.