Miriam Lieber is president of Lieber Consulting, Sherman Oaks, Calif., specializing in operations management and reimbursement for the HME industry. You can reach her at 818/789-0670 or by email at miriam@lieberconsulting.com.

In addition to changing rates in non-bid locations, CMS plans to lower certain rates based on regional calculations, all under the guise of streamlining the bid program

Electronic document exchange (EDE), including the electronic certificate of medical necessity, or e-CMN, has been inching through the HME pipeline for several years.

One of my favorite television commercials shows a professional woman at a business meeting. When the camera pans down, you see that she is sitting at her kitchen table in fuzzy slippers, looking at a computer screen.
E-commerce, encompassing everything from electronic ordering to just-in-time inventory management, has improved supply-chain logistics in various industries--but not HME, at least not on a wide scale.