Business Development

Between Zoom meetings, working remotely and virtual schooling, COVID-19 dramatically altered the way we connect with each other over the past year and in some respects, it forced people to utilize and better understand communications technology. It is emblematic of the adage “necessity is the mother of invention” – especially for HME providers toward business automation and interoperability. Information technology specialists are encouraged by signs of burgeoning connectivity...

Diabetes care is surpassing other HME segments like complex rehab and respiratory in technology deployment. With developments like digital glucose monitoring and other tools, the market has made great strides in automating and reshaping disease management for diabetes patients, specialists in the field say. “The technology available to support people living with Type 1 diabetes has changed dramatically – specifically, automated technology helps reduce some of the decision-making patients...

Complex rehabilitation has a reputation for being a tech-savvy market, with advancements improving power chair stability, durability, performance and appearance over the decades.  To be sure, technological growth has expanded beyond device components to include “smart” systems designed to help users achieve fuller, more independent lives, said Jay Brislin, vice president of Exeter, Pa.-based Quantum Rehab. “There have been several component innovations within the industry...

Despite some disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of bariatric products have remained steady during the past year, manufacturers say.  Navigating disruptions  The pandemic has impacted the supply chain for bariatric products in various ways, including limiting access to health care and long-term care facilities, restricting access to products and clinicians.  “COVID-19 has had an impact on all segments of the mobility...

Because COVID-19 is a virus that attacks the body’s respiratory system, it has put home medical equipment providers on the front line for fighting the pandemic. Manufacturers from across the respiratory spectrum are responding to this crisis by furnishing the equipment needed to assist those afflicted with the virulent pathogen, contributing to a joint effort with HME providers. “COVID has caused an uptick in home oxygen equipment overall,” said Doug Francis, president and...

PRINCETON, N.J. - Parachute Health recently launched an end-to-end ordering solution to help HME providers and their referral sources ease into e-prescribing. The solution still allows the use of fax machines, but everything is centralized in a digital intake platform. “If a fax order needs to be fixed, it gets sent back digitally through the platform,” said Brandon Zaharoff, vice president of strategy, marketing and data for Parachute Health. “Then the provider gets a fax or email...

Urologicals are a surprisingly versatile market segment that marry rewarding work, cross-over sales and technological advancements. Not bad for a market that has a reputation for being a strictly commodity business in the HME industry, vendors say. John Anderson, CEO of Newport Beach, Calif.-based Cure Medical, is very upbeat about urologicals and the progress being made with respect to new products. “It is an extremely rewarding market - I have one customer who cried with joy because she was...

The financial forecast for the orthotics and prosthetics market continues to be bullish, driven by increasing demand, product innovations and technological advancements. In a new market outlook report from Grand View Research, the global O&P market size is listed at $9.2 billion and is expected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% from 2020 to 2027. Researchers cite “increasing incidence of sports injuries and road accidents, rising number of diabetes-related amputations and the...

Depending on who you ask, the COVID-19 influence is either helping, hindering, or having no impact on demand for home accessibility services. The virus pandemic has had the biggest impact on the HME industry's elderly clients, who have comprised the majority of deaths and hospitalizations since it first appeared in February. As a result, seniors are concerned about their vulnerability and are spending the majority of their time in seclusion at home. With elderly clients aging in place and in need...

For an industry in need of a retail product that fits within any of the HME major categories, CBD certainly seems to fit the bill. As a therapeutic product with potential benefits for a litany of conditions, CBD can effectively be marketed and merchandised for virtually every HME customer, specialists in the field say.CBD—known as cannabidiol—is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis. On the market for retail sale since being legalized in the Agricultural Improvement Act of...