topic

Operations

Operational guidance for HME and home health businesses, from inventory and logistics to workflow and efficiency.

  • Rise & Shine with HomeCare

    Beginning the show each morning of Medtrade 2003, HomeCare magazine will sponsor an opening session designed to get your day going with a focus on the future. These information-packed daily seminars will spotlight legislative issues, business forecasting and strategies for professional achievement that will keep you informed, get you prepared and move you toward success in home health care’s changing landscape. First up on Thursday, Oct. 9, the American Association for Homecare will present its “Washington Update,” where you will learn about the association’s fight against competitive bidding and other reimbursement-reducing legislation currently facing the industry. Never before has it been so important to understand how decisions in Washington can affect your company. Hear first-hand what issues are being discussed, what they mean for you,…
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  • The Power to Heal

    Manufacturers of beds and support surfaces are seeing their market expand, and they think HME providers who sell their equipment will, too — especially if that equipment is going to bariatric patients. The beds and support surfaces market — growing by leaps and bounds, according to industry leaders — is only going to get stronger, and product makers attribute much of this strength to the obesity epidemic in the United States. “There’s been a marked increase in bariatric patients,” says Leigh Smith, director of marketing for Mellen Air. “Where before the bariatric bed frame was a peripheral item, now it is a necessity in the marketplace because of the change in the medical profile of our country.” In fact, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona…
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  • Editor’s Inbox

    Stand Up for Respiratory Home Care Respiratory home care reimbursement is one of the solutions to totally improve the delivery of home health care in our nation. Medicare pays only for equipment but not for the cardiorespiratory assessment of a patient or modality of therapy treatment given at home by a respiratory therapist. An experienced respiratory professional knows if the patient needs the current therapy or not! And respiratory care must be practiced by a respiratory therapist, not a nurse! Everyone must strive to get this approved in Congress. Our patients, our children, our own post-retirement health care depend on it. It is a very bright future — and I believe it is going to be achieved. — Frank Alvarez, RRT, CPFT, president, Alvacare II…
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  • SMART Software

    The uncertainty that remains a constant in the home medical equipment industry fortunately is alleviated by the solutions HME software programs offer. Providers can streamline business functions, increase claims accuracy, decrease denials and fully manage their companies’ assets while remaining compliant with ever-changing regulations. Yet, a significant challenge remains: How can providers better use available technology to take full advantage of their software’s existing features? Freedom from the burdensome paper trail is a tremendous benefit, particularly in this industry, which is overly dependent on forms. “Instead of being bogged down with paperwork, HME software can take you from your purchase orders right through to electronic claims and accounts receivable as one integrated process,” says Brian Williams, marketing manager for Computer Applications Unlimited in Harrisburg, Pa….
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  • They Are Watching

    How many of us shook our heads in disbelief when we heard that during a transplant operation it was discovered that the blood type of the organ was not a match for the patient. We thought this certainly must have happened in a third-world country. Not so! This occurred at the highly regarded Duke Medical Center in Durham, N.C. A simple series of procedures confirming blood type from the organ bank to the operating table could have prevented the mistake. The problem was not the medical team or the many caring health care professionals serving the patient, but a simple process disconnect. Unfortunately, medical errors have increased significantly over the past several years, and consumers are becoming much more aware of the problem. The Commonwealth…
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  • Still a Solid Profit Center

    A burgeoning population, health conditions and diseases that are merely treated — not cured — and more efficient diagnostic practices make the respiratory market a solid profit center that continues to increase. Jacquelyn McClure BS, RRT, director of Lubbock, Texas-based The MED Group’s National Respiratory Network, says home oxygen and treatment for sleep-disordered breathing are the segments of the respiratory market that are bringing providers the most revenues, but adds that information technology is also making a strong impact. According to McClure, technologies that can replace routine activities to free up labor for complex problem-solving and assessment activities are on the rise. Baby boomers are moving into an age group or category where they are needing or requiring supplementary oxygen, says Ron Richard, Poway, Calif.-based…
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  • Where’s the Money?

    The federal government has been obliged to budget money (a great deal of money) to cover some rather pressing issues — issues that make up a major part of the news we all read daily. My concern is what will happen to health care, in particular to home medical equipment providers and home health agencies? Where is the money going to come from to allow normal services to continue? If the pressure that is being put on this industry to save dollars continues, health care in the United States will be reduced to the lowest common denominator. The continual decreases in reimbursements are leading many manufacturers to move their operations to foreign lands and putting smaller HME dealers out of business. Unemployment benefits and the…
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  • Attendance Booms at Medtrade Spring

    Las Vegas Two years ago, as George W. Bush warned of an imminent economic downturn, Medtrade Spring posted a 28 percent jump in attendance. And, while Bush’s prediction came true for the U.S. economy in general, Medtrade’s growth continued. This year, approximately 7,700 attendees filled the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center May 6-8 — more than twice as many as in 2001, according to Atlanta-based VNU Expositions, the show’s organizer. Of those attendees, about 71 percent — 5,500 — were home care providers and other purchasers, VNU explained. These positive statistics are due in part to record on-site registration, VNU said. On the morning of May 7, organizers watched in disbelief as approximately 1,500 attendees lined up to register on-site, spilling into the…
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  • The Right HME Stuff

    Ever hear the one about the home medical equipment deliveryman who simply left the oxygen concentrator on the end-user’s front porch and drove off? How about the tale of the temp who picked up the phone but, unable to answer any of the caller’s questions, finally told the customer to call back in three days? Then there was the customer service representative who responded to a caller asking if the manager was in by saying only, “No.” These are just a few of the horror stories of the HME business, tales from the trenches of staffing and training gone wrong. Such incidents, say industry consultants and providers, can slice into profits by undermining your reputation, increasing the number of after-hours and emergency calls and driving…
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  • Tools of the Trade

    When it comes to building a home medical equipment business, it pays to have the right tools. No, we’re not talking wheelchairs and oxygen concentrators here — we’re talking about financing and protecting your company as it grows. The choices HME providers make in obtaining loans, leasing equipment and taking out insurance can help construct a firm business foundation — one that experts say can be the difference between success and failure. But understanding your options in these areas can be complicated and confusing. What, for example, is the best way to fund expansion? When should a provider lease equipment? Which insurance coverage is must-have and what is optional? For answers to these and other questions, HomeCare sought advice from industry professionals and successful providers….
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  • You Should Be Committed

    It always rewards me to hear from home medical equipment providers — the conversations are great. These entrepreneurs are always filled with unique ideas about ways they plan to improve their businesses and increase their profits. They tell me how they will remodel and change their showrooms. I applaud their efforts and always encourage these providers to follow through on their ideas. But, when I ask the same providers a few weeks later how they are progressing with their plans, too often I hear something like this: “Well, Shelly, you know how busy we are and I just never got around to it.” This does not sit well with me. Why? These providers did not make a commitment to themselves to follow through on good…
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  • From Theory to Practice

    There are many ways to value a company in merger and acquisition situations. In this article, I will discuss several standards of value, in contrast to fair market value. Fair market value is, essentially, the average cash value a buyer is willing to pay a seller for a company when both parties have adequate information about the company and neither is compelled to buy or sell. I also will focus on the most common valuation method, where buyers ascribe a multiple to earnings — typically earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA — where the multiple is based on required rates of return that reflect the risk of the business and the industry. Here then, from a practical perspective, are the most common…
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