HME Business, November 2017

What’s Inside:
E-CommerceforHME . . . . . . . . . . . 20 News, Trends & Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 8
Oxygen Audits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 SleepProductSolutions . . . . . . . . . . . 25 HMEProductInventory . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 HME Business Optimization . . . . . . . . 30
POCs:
Leap of Faith
Respiratory providers waiting in the wings need to take the portable oxygen plunge.
Special Insert Inside:
DME Pharmacy
Helping pharmacy owners and operators expand their DME businesses.
A SPECIALFRPOUMBLICATION
November 2017
ALSO INSIDE
• Pain Management
• Management Software • More Inventory Options
Missed Opportunity
DME Pharmacies might be missing out on a massive, unseen compression market.
hme-business.com
Portable O2
Still Proves
Problematic for
Some Providers
Oxygen providers have
been hearing a familiar argument regarding portable oxygen for some time now . The basic business proposi- tion is that if providers can transition patients to portable oxygen solutions, users will enjoy better quality of life and therapeutic outcomes due to increased ambulation, and providers will reap the rewards on the back end thanks to greatly diminished deliveries and maintenance costs . Throw in the improved reputation with referral partners, and there’s a lot to be said for that model .
Then there’s the impetus for oxygen providers to look into new business models given pressures such as competitive bidding and the “here to stay” 36-month rental cap, as well as the continued onslaught of audits . If providers can’t find ways to reinforce their margins through increased efficiency, their bottom line will soon be behind the eight ball .
Most of all? Customers want portable solutions . There is a booming business being done on the Internet selling portable devices to patients for cash .
But many respiratory providers still refuse . We ask the experts why that is; why hold-outs need to give portable oxygen a chance; and how they can get started .
Annual Oxygen MarketOutlook . . . . . . Page14
November 2017 Volume 24, Number 11 hme-business.com
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