Poised for the Future

30 years ago

In the late ’70s, TENS was poised to make a huge HME splash. As HomeCare reported, the market projections for 1979 were $40 million, with estimates for sales reaching between 60,000 to 80,000 units. By 1984, analysts said, sales of TENS equipment would reach $120 million.

In addition to the predicted TENS boom, the magazine also reported providers’ complaints of slow third-party reimbursement. As Edward Roseman, executive director of the National Affiliation of Durable Medical Equipment Companies (NADMEC) advised readers, “It is extremely important that you exercise scrutiny on your Medicare accounts and take action as soon as they are 30 days old.”

20 years ago

Modern pushes toward electronic medical records have once again thrust computer technology to the forefront. But computers have been revolutionizing — and confusing — providers for decades. In August 1988, HomeCare sought to assuage the technology haze with its feature “What Should Your Computer Do?” The answer? In addition to order taking, a 1988 computer was expected to handle billing and collections, inventory purchasing, warehousing and accounting.

Tom Jenkins, vice president of Medical Mart of Idaho Falls, Idaho, summed up his HME’s needs in a way that resonates today: “Our two biggest concerns are inventory control and medical billing. We want speed, but we also want flexibility and expandability.”

Today, it seems, providers still want the same. (See page 16).

10 years ago

August 1998 saw HME providers fighting reduced oxygen reimbursements. “While some respiratory-only companies won’t survive the 25 percent cut — as industry insiders have predicted — others are meeting it head on by cutting staff, closing unprofitable locations and updating equipment,” HomeCare reported in a five-page analysis of HME providers who were rising above the cuts.

To assist respiratory providers, the magazine offered “15 Ways To Breathe Life Into Your Oxygen Business.” Among the advice offered: “Pursue purchase discounts from manufacturers based on the reduced reimbursement,” and “Consolidate vendors to negotiate price breaks on higher-volume purchases.”

In other news, industry providers have begun banding together in buying groups to net better deals. According to a 1997 survey by the Health Industry Distributors Association, 75 percent of the HME firms polled said they belonged to a buying group.