Alabama HME Licensure Board Gains Funding, Authority

Montgomery, Ala.

Alabama’s HME licensure board got more clout as the state recently passed a law increasing licensure fees for HME providers from $75 to $250.

State law requires that the HME licensure board be self-funding. But the original fee was not enough to fund meaningful enforcement efforts, according to Mike Hamilton, executive director of the Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association. “What’s been done [until now is warning] by intimidation,” he said.

Not only does the new law increase licensing fees, it also gives the board authority to require out-of-state HME companies doing business in Alabama to obtain a state license.

Despite challenges, HME licensure in the state has had some success. Since the licensure requirement first went into effect in 2001, “40 companies are not in the business because they chose not to or did not comply with licensure requirements. That’s a significant success for public protection,” Hamilton said.

Alabama also recently passed a licensure law for respiratory therapists, and the board charged with enacting the new law held its first meeting Sept. 23. Mike Benefield, chair of the state’s HME licensure board and owner of Phenix City, Ala.-based Home Medical Care Co., is advising the new respiratory board on implementation procedures.

“I’m a respiratory therapist, so I’ll have to get a license,” Benefield said, “It’s another way to make sure you have competent people taking care of the elderly and disabled [in Alabama].”