Page 34 - HME Business, November 2017

Oxygen Outlook
to help providers make the transition. “I think that the most important thing
the providers can do is partner with
their manufacturer on this,” says George Coppola, the director of marketing for CAIRE Inc. “Obviously I’m a little biased ... but we are positioned where we can help them. Work with us and we will work with you. We’ll help you select the right mate- rials. We will work on helping you train your referral sources on the clinical benefits of the products. We can help you grow the business.”
As mentioned, the big barrier is the financial aspect. To address providers’ concerns about up-front costs, many vendors will offer financing programs.
“We clearly recognize the up-front cost of a provider to do [portable], and we try to help them,” Coppola says that his parent company, CHART, provides financing and bundling programs across its portfolio of portable oxygen offer- ings, which includes the CAIRE, Airsep and Sequal brands. “We have a number of programs for provider financing.
Our most popular one is our 0 percent, 12-month program, but we also have programs up to 36 months.”
VGM’s Lyman says that various vendors are working to support a gentle transi- tion from a financial perspective.
“Many of the manufacturers have a relationship with a lending agency and they even offer promotional offers, such as three months skipped, or 12 equal payments,” Lyman says. “So they’re willing to work with the provider on those costs, and depending on the volume that they purchase, I’ve known some of the vendors to actually work with the lender on points so the provider doesn’t even have to pay the point. So, they might offer 0 percent for 12 or 15 months, for example.”
Coppola says CHART also works to reinforce and participate in providers’ referral education efforts to explain the benefits of portable oxygen.
“We will explain to them the benefits, do the full demo of the unit, and walk them through the program,” he says. “We provide them with the material needed to help work with their referral sources.”
In addition to working with vendors, Lyman suggest that providers consider a trial with a select group of patients to see how portable oxygen will pan out in terms of the business and the patients’ care.
“I would say you should at least try it at least 8 to 10 percent of your population,” Lyman says. “You have to have a signifi- cant amount of folks, because you’re going to always have failures.
Lyman also suggests that respiratory providers coordinate with discharge planners at hospitals and physicians’ office staff to educate them on the benefits of portable oxygen and then partner with them to see if they would be amenable to keeping portable devices on-site, so that the therapist can work with the patient to dial in the right settings before discharge.
“It helps expedite that discharge,” he says. “The discharge planner doesn’t have to wait for you, and you don’t have to get out there immediately and be waiting for them. You can schedule it
Recent Portable Oxygen Solutions
Innovations in portable oxygen, from portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) to portable liquid oxygen systems, have helped revolutionize the business of providing long-term oxygen therapy by cutting costs, creating reoccurring revenue, and giving patients the freedom they most desire. Let’s take a look at some of the most recent offerings on the market:
Create medical oxygen from the air around you
The five-setting OxyGo is a
lightweight medical device that
can make the medical oxygen
your doctor prescribed from the
air around you. With OxyGo,
patients never need to worry
about running out of oxygen
and you don’t need to carry heavy
tanks. OxyGo shows user exactly how much time they have left on the battery, and they can easily change the battery while on the go.
OxyGo, LLC
(877) 263-1167
www.OxyGo.life
Advanced technologies in lightweight design
The LifeChoice Activox 4L
portable oxygen concentrator
features a long-lasting battery in
a simplified, lightweight design.
The POC lasts up to 10.25 hours
on a single charge, allowing
patients to spend the day out
without worrying about needing
to recharge. If patients need extended hours away from home, they can recharge on the go — even while they’re using the device. The unit includes advanced oxygen purity sensors, alarm and charging notifications to keep patients set up and informed for optimal therapy outcomes.
ResMed
(800) 424-0737
www.resmed.com
An all-in-one, around-the-clock solution
The Eclipse 5 POC is designed to
be an all-in-one, 24/7 solution for
patients requiring higher flow oxygen
at home, or on the road. Offering
continuous flow oxygen up to 3 LPM
and pulse dose settings available up
to 192 mL bolus size, this device offers advanced pulse delivery features
including autoSAT technology
which allows for customizable pulse
dose with adjustable bolus rise time and trigger sensitivity. The Eclipse 5 also comes with patient educational materials.
CAIRE Inc.
(800) 482-2473
www.cairemedical.com
Designed for active patients on long-term oxygen therapy
GCE Healthcare’s Zen-O lite weighs only five and a half pounds and can deliver
pulsed oxygen up to a setting
of five. The device features rate
responsive oxygen delivery,
ensuring appropriate patient
saturation and field replaceable
sieve beds for convenient low-cost
onsite maintenance. Zen-O lite has a practical design which makes it easy for users or home oxygen providers to replace the sieve modules in under five minutes.
GCE
(888) 659-2102
www.gcegroup.com
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