Tag: HME NewsPoll
Taking stock: Challenges, yes – but also progress
June 22, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
When Managing Editor Theresa Flaherty and I sat down to brainstorm ideas for the cartoon for the June issue, we made a conscious decision to steer clear of the usual suspects: Medicare, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and the industry’s ongoing regulatory pressure points – competitive bidding, supplier moratoriums, fraud.
Those topics have fueled more than a few recent cartoons, and for good reason. But this month, we wanted to take a step back.
Instead, we landed on another...
New therapies challenge CPAP, but providers aren’t shifting yet
June 19, 2026Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – There may be an increasing number of options to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but CPAP remains the top choice, say 68% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
“The sleep apnea treatment landscape is becoming increasingly diverse, which is good news for patients,” wrote one respondent. “New options, such as oral appliances, implantable devices and emerging medications may help people who struggle with CPAP therapy. That said, CPAP remains the gold...
Newspoll: Provider-payer trends raise concerns over access, choice
October 29, 2025Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – Larger HME providers appear to be increasingly partnering with health systems, a trend that the respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say threatens access and limits patient choice.
Sixty percent of respondents reported seeing an increase in joint ventures or preferred agreements between larger providers and health systems in their markets.
“From a market perspective, these consolidated relationships are reshaping referral patterns and creating barriers...
Sleep therapy: Physician access creates delays
May 16, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – There’s a bottleneck in the sleep therapy process, according to 83% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll, and physicians are the biggest reason for it, they say.
The largest share of respondents blamed the time it takes to get a referral for a sleep physician as the biggest contributor to the bottleneck (31%), followed by the time it takes to get an initial visit with a primary care physician (25%).
The common theme: physicians.
“Most...
WFH sticks – for now
March 21, 2025Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Five years on from the COVID-19 pandemic and despite a broad return-to-office movement, work from home is a policy that still holds up for most respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
Eighty-one percent of respondents reported they have employees who work from home and nearly 70% say they’re not reconsidering their policy.
“WFH was a virtually seamless transition during COVID,” wrote Erin Dolan of Med-Essentials in New Hartford, Conn. “My...
Poll respondents on MA plans: ‘It’s just too much’
January 3, 2025Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – When it comes to Medicare Advantage, respondents to a recent HME Newspoll have two predictions: The numbers of beneficiaries enrolled in these plans will increase under the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump, and it won’t be good for HME providers.
Most respondents already serve patients with MA plans (84%) and expect their percentage of patients who have these plans to increase this year (59%). The problem: They experience more challenges serving...
Philips exit: ‘Nothing fazes us anymore'
February 16, 2024Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – A decision by Philips to exit a large chunk of the U.S. respiratory market will have a significant impact on the market, say 70% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
Philips announced in January that it was discontinuing sales for 19 sleep and respiratory products, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators.
“There are very few big manufacturers left,” wrote one respondent. “Respironics had many high-quality products that will be...
HME providers remain skeptical of CMS’s plans for competitive bidding
June 16, 2023Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – No matter what CMS does going forward with its competitive bidding program, it’s no surprise that the respondents to a recent HME Newspoll feel the program is unsalvageable.
As part of the announcement in May of a temporary gap in the program, CMS stated it plans to “implement necessary changes” to the program to establish sustainable prices and create savings for Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers.
“The bid program should go away,”...
Remote staffing: The new normal?
May 26, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – HME companies are leaning on remote staffing solutions to help fill vacancies and reduce expenses, according to the results of a recent HME Newspoll.
A large majority of respondents to the poll (85%) cited those two reasons as the key drivers for outsourcing certain operations.
“We have found that using remote staffing is extremely beneficial and affordable,” said Mike Tracey of Aspirus Home Medical Equipment in Wausau, Wis. “Currently,...
Our latest Newspoll tanks, but HME resilience springs eternal
January 18, 2023Theresa Flaherty
YARMOUTH, Maine – As far as HME Newspolls go, this one was a dud.
There. We said it.
Since we were working on our January issue at the time, we thought it would be interesting to have providers share what they believed to be their biggest business opportunity and biggest challenge, as they headed into 2023.
It’s hard to say whether providers are too busy to think about 2023 just yet (a mistake) or are simply tired of answering surveys and polls (understandable).
However,...