Tag: HME NewsPoll
Newspoll: Provider-payer trends raise concerns over access, choice
October 29, 2025Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
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, Managing Editor
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, Managing Editor
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, Managing Editor
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, Managing Editor
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,...
What's your personality type?
April 16, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
It seems all any of us in the HME industry can talk about these days is in-person events (We are, after all, at the time of this writing, still waiting for the DMEPOS final rule; otherwise, that might be the dominant talking point). Will in-person events happen? Will people go to them?
Certainly by July, the time of the industry’s first planned in-person event – Medtrade West, July 12-14 at the Phoenix Convention Center – all those who want to be vaccinated will be vaccinated,...
Poll: COVID precautions push permanent business changes
March 19, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, HME providers, like many businesses, have adapted to new ways of doing business and many of those changes will become permanent, say respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they plan to make certain changes permanent, including offering drop-shipping or curbside pick-up of equipment.
“In the past, we would do curbside if a customer asked,”...