Smart Talk

Q. Is my sales team selling outcomes or equipment? A. Good question, and you already know the answer. Do they “show up and throw up” - listing the equipment your company provides to the gatekeeper of an account or someone who walked into your retail space? Do you hear this response: “Do you have information you can leave with me?” or “I’m just looking around.” If so, the sales rep just became a commodity. Or worse, a second option. Here’s...

Q. What can we do about a payment system that's failing DME suppliers? A. Intermediaries and third-party administrators (TPAs) have become significant players in how durable medical equipment reaches patients. For DME businesses serving everyday communities, the burden is becoming difficult to sustain. As the prevalence of TPAs supporting Medicaid Managed Care and Medicare Advantage payers trends upward, our industry needs a game plan to respond to an evolving model that, without proper...

Q. I'm adding CGM patients every month, but my overall program is not growing the way I'd expect. What am I missing? A. Your program might have a leaky bucket. It's one of the most common and costly problems in CGM resupply. Providers focus heavily on new patient acquisition, which is important, but if patients are quietly dropping off the back end, acquisition alone will not grow your resupply program at the rate you're expecting. You could be adding 50 new patients a month...

Q. How can agentic AI reduce cycle time in care delivery? A. When care delivery stalls, the risk isn’t theoretical. It shows up in delayed starts, disrupted therapy and preventable complications. And the root causes of these delays are maddeningly mundane: a missing signature, a phone call that never gets returned, a staff member buried in tasks that a computer could handle. For suppliers operating in an industry where cycle time directly affects patient outcomes, the status quo is...

Q. What are alternative revenue paths for new providers? A. If you were planning to launch a DMEPOS business this year, the new CMS moratorium may feel like a door slamming in your face. On February 27, 2026, the agency initiated a six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollment and Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) issuance for DMEPOS suppliers. But Medicare isn’t the only doorway to revenue for your new business. You can still get accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation...

Q. How can HME providers move beyond fee-for-service to support capitated or risk-sharing payment models? A. The current demographic trajectory and the escalating complexity of chronic care management have necessitated a fundamental shift in payer strategy. With aging in America accelerating, the home has become an important focal point of value-based care. Payers are shifting from transactional, unit-based cost management toward alternative payment models that favor value creation, shared risk...

Q. How can intake set the stage for materially improved patient outcomes? A. Most HME teams measure intake success by speed and order volume. Those metrics matter, but they do not reflect whether the patient actually benefits from the equipment. High-performing teams treat the intake process as the first critical point of care, not just an administrative step. Intake is where patient adherence begins. Equipment delivered without proper education is often unused, but the issue goes deeper...

Q. How does the pacing of customer-facing AI impact patient experience and outcomes? A. Many leaders assume the primary value of AI agents lies in speed—handling more patient interactions faster, reducing workforce strain, and cutting resolution times. On the surface, faster often seems better. Yet for healthcare consumers, especially those with chronic conditions and complex care needs, speed alone does not create a positive patient experience (rushed and overwhelming 15-minute doctor’s...

Q. What are the top deficiencies among reaccrediting providers? A. If you’ve been an accredited DMEPOS provider for years, you’ve probably grown accustomed to a certain reaccreditation process. But Jan. 1, 2026, changed the rules – for everyone. Under the CMS final rule, 100% compliance is required on all standards. What may have not been a deficiency last accreditation period, may be cause for denial or revocation this time around. We’ve identified the top deficiencies...

Q. We are seeing a significant move toward payers adopting end-to-end DME benefit management. What are the top three things forward-thinking HME owners should do today to ensure they are adapting alongside this important shift? A: The shift toward end-to-end DME benefit management is being driven by a maturing digital infrastructure, as well as pivotal policies like the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule. As the industry moves away from antiquated manual processes and a historical...