Providers ‘have to shift’ in current environment

WATERLOO, Iowa – Lisa Wells, senior vice president at Med-South and the 2026 HME Woman of the Year, shared her thoughts on everything from Medicare’s moratorium on new supplier numbers to the acceleration of third-party administrators – and the need, through it all, to be open to change.

HME News: What is one area providers cannot afford to overlook right now?

Lisa Wells: If you don’t have billing numbers, it’s all irrelevant. (Med-South is) in growth mode, so we had to step back and determine how that impacts us. We can’t get a new number right now, and that limits some of our growth, but it also limits others who are probably not good suppliers from being able to come into the state, open up a number and bill fraudulently.

HME: What is your advice on third-party payer arrangements providers may not like?

Wells: Build relationships with them. Determine if it’s a good fit for your organization. If you can do without that revenue, fine. If you can’t, look at whether there is an opportunity to grow through this, as well. It’s not the people; it’s the shift in the environment. If we make the business decision not to go that route, I’m not going to be ugly about it.

HME: Where is the industry heading over the next five years?

Wells: Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to have an impact in the industry. I don’t know if it will be as big as we think it’s going to be. AI is another tool in the tool belt to help us be more efficient, but it’s only as good as the data you put into it. I think we’ll see more payers utilizing it, and we have to do the same. You cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results. You have to shift.

• Related: HME Woman of the Year finalists on leadership, adaptability and innovation.