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target. One key referral partner is wound care centers. These centers often server diabetic patients, people with pressure ulcers and other patients that need treatment. Others include doctors and hospitals, as well as orthopedic facilities are another source.
Working with referral partners in wound care is just like other aspects of HME: it comes down to relationships. Providers must develop strong bonds with local wound care centers, doctors and others and work closely with them to ensure it is a trusted partner in the patient’s care.
The key is to be a product expert on whom doctors and other referrals
can rely. The provider wants to be the go-to resource for anything regarding wound care products — even items that the provider might not regularly stock. In acting as this kind of on-hand resource, the provider establishes itself as the expert in its marketplace.
Regularly work to educate your referral sources on the products you offer and new product innovations that are now on the market. The bene t here is twofold: you reinforce your reputation as the primary supplier of those items, and those referrals will make product recommendations to their patients and funding sources based on the education that you have provided.
In the same way providers work with referrals, they should also coordi- nate with caregivers and family. This is actually essential because they will help drive new product demands, and they will function as in-home support. Providers must focus on educating these key care allies. Ideal times to do this are when a patient is rst getting set up, or when a referral partner, caregiver or family member contacts the provider regarding a wound care need.
In either case, use these opportunities as a springboard to perform a patient evaluation or home evaluation. In addition to providing some education on
various products, ask questions about the patient’s living situation and habits. What is the client’s morning routine? How long does the client sleep? Does the client spend time in the bed during the day and how long?
Additionally, ask questions regarding the various factors related to the causes and treatments of wounds, as this will help shed light on a client’s wound care “scenario.” Some prime examples:
• Diagnosis — The patient has met with other healthcare professionals and has speci c, prescribed needs. This will obviously dictate what the provider teaches them.
• Incontinence — This is an issue that is experienced by various patient groups, and when incontinence is not addressed properly, it can lead to pressure sores.
• Nutrition — Many patients do not heal properly because they are not eating the right goods and getting the proper vitamins.
• Hypoxia — In the same way they need good nutrition, wounds need to get properly oxygenated in order to heal properly.
• Where are patients sleeping? — Many patients wind up sleeping in places that aren’t ideal situations in terms of pressure relief. Dozing in lift chairs is a good example.
• On what is the patient sitting? — Obviously this is a key concern for mobility patients, because the wrong seating surface can combine the pressure, moisture and heat that leads to a pressure sore.
Successful care hinges on truly understanding a patient’s lifestyle to get a true picture of how a patient’s routine can in uence his or her wound care. Questions such as these help to identify product needs and allow the provider to function as a consultant to those caregivers and clients. n
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What’s Inside:
Medtrade Products Showcase 28 News, Trends & Analysis 8 HMEBootcamp 12 Post-MastectomyCare 34 A Critical Compression Market 38 RevampingResupply 42 Experts Share
Strategic Issues Shining a Light Insights on the
POCs:
What’s Inside:
E-CommerceforHME 20 News, Trends & Analysis 8 OxygenAudits 16 SleepProductSolutions 25 HMEProductInventory 26 HMEBusinessOptimization 30 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
i p m a p r t r n o e v r e s d , a r n e d p u t h t a e t r i e o ’ n s wa i l t o h t r t e o f e b r e r a s l a i d
f o r T t h h e a n t mt h o e d r e e ’ s l t h e i m p e t u s f o r o x y g e n pm r o o d v i e d l e s r g s i v t o e n l o p o r k e s i n s t u o r e n s e s w u c b h u s a i s n e s s competitive bidding and the “here to s t h t a e y c ” o 3 n 6 t - i n m u o e n d t h o n r e s n l a t u a g l c h a t p o , f a a s u w d i e t l s l a I f s pthreoivridmearrsgcinasn’tth ronudgwhaiynsctroearseeindforce ef ciency, 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 I p n a t t e i r e n n e t t s s f oe l r l i c n a g s h p o r t a b l e d e v i c e s t o
refBuuste mWaneyarsekstphieraetoxrpyeprtrsovwidhyertshastilils; why hold-outs need to give portable oxygen a chance; and how they can get started
What’s Inside:
2017 New Product Awards 20 News, Trends & Analysis 8 AnnualSoftwareSurvey 26 BoostingMobilitySales 12 CompressionSolutions 32 LivingintheMicro-Moment 34 Are Providers’ Marketing and Sales Ready for the Baby Boom? As the Baby Boom has progressed through history it has left a massive impact Whether it was the beginning of targeted youth market- ing, the summer of love, or the groovy disco era, the 76 4 million-person age cohort has dramatically in uenced American culture, politics and history Now it’s impacting HME
As a market of HME consumers, baby boomers greatly differ from previous generations For starters,
t w h i e t h y e l e v a e d n e t h x e t r i e r me l e d l e y s a t c m t i e v e m l b i f e e r s s t y l e s ,
e s u n c g h a g a s i n mg a i n r a s t e h r o i o n u s s a a n t d h t l e r i t a i c t h p l o u n r s s u i Wt s e , l l i l i n v t i on g r e i t n i dr e e mp e e n n t d , e b n o t ol y m f o e r r s a s w l a o n n t g t o a s k e e p they can, and need medical products
t h a B t o h o e m l p e r t h s e a ml s o d h o a t v h e a r t e n e d creo nescutmtheer mta sGteosnaendarwe athnet pdraoydsuocfts to “bent metal” when it comes to HME For instance, looking at bath safety products, Boomers want tastefully designed items that will look at home in their interior design They expect
Hc o M n E s u p m r o e d r - u c c u t l t s u t r o e r s e e n e s c i b t i t l h i t o i e s s e k i n d s o f BaTbhyoBsoeoamrerjeupstretsweontfascaentsenotfirheolywntehwe marketing and sales challenge for HME providers Read this month’s cover story to learn more
Reaching
Baby Boomers Page 14
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2018
HME Business
Management Solutions | Technology | Products
hme-business.com | February 2018 | HME1B/1u6/s1i8ne1s1s:05 AM 15
Industry experts help providers navigate upcoming trends.
ASPLESCOIAINLSWIDOEM: EN’S HEALTH COVERAGE
S T A R T S O N P A G E 3 4 !
Respiratory providers waiting in the wings need to take the portable oxygen plunge.
HME’s Next Generation
How Providers Can Connect with Baby Boomers
What’s Inside:
Facing HME
Every year, HMEB convenes its Editorial Advisory
Board to discuss key issues, trends, challenges and opportunities that providers will want to monitor and plan for in the coming months
The board is made up from a variety of providers, HME business experts, manufacturer representatives and industry advocates In short, it is a perfect cross section of the industry There are longtime veterans that sit
o a n n d t h p e e r b s o p a e r c d t i a v n e d , a s s h wa r e e l l t a h s e i n r e e w x c p o e mr t e i s r e s w B u h t o t b h e r i y n g a l l f r s e h s a h r e v i a e w f e p w o i c n o t ms a m n o d n i d t r e a a i t s s :
Tohffeyr vcalrueaabbleo,ustrtahtiesginicduinsstirgyh; tsh;eaynd they have a vested interest in seeing t b h o e t h r e f a r o d me r s a o c f a t r h e i s a n m d a a g a b z u i n s i e n e s u s s c c e e d
p e Ar s n p d e t c h t i i s v e y e a r , t h e i r i n p u t i s n e e d e d more than ever The industry nds itself in a state of transition, as it has more allies on Capitol Hill and in CMS It will likely see a kinder regulatory and legislative environment, but there msoimghetonfotthbeecahnayngeosinHgMbEachkafsroalmready e r o x u p n e d r i t e a n b c l e e d a i mT h s i s t o y e l o a o r ’ k s a a t n t n h u e a t l r e n d s and issues you might not be consid- ering, so that you can safely navigate the industry’s uncertain waters Annual Advisory
Board Roundtable Page 14
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Leap of Faith
Piecing Together
Sleep Business Strategy 18 News, Trends & Analysis 8
2018OxygenAuditTrends 12 Mobility Product Solutions 23 HMEProductInventory 26 DEHPandCatheterUsers 30
The Strategic Landscape for the New Year is Falling Into Place
For 10 years,
10 key trends that will impact providers this year.
has published its annual “Big 10” list, so it’s tting that this year’s edition speaks to a maturing industry that has learned to adapt to changes At the outset of publishing this list, there was a sense of urgency; that the trends impacting the industry were burning items that required immediate attention That wasn’t surprising given that HME was an industry that had seen relatively smooth sailing for so long, but was suddenly facing major regulatory, funding and market shifts
But now things are different This industry has seen massive changes and weathered them Now, new strategic concerns don’t send providers scrambling Instead changes get them thinking about not only the responses to those trends, but the potential upsides, as well
Suf ce to say, 10 years later, this list serves an entirely different mindset Where this year is concerned, the trends we’re seeing fall into place for the next 12 months include regulatory issues such as H R 4229 and Medicare Red Tape Relief, strategies such as billing non-assigned and revenue diversi cation, and business trends such as distributed operations and e-commerce Take a look at the full list to see how you might need to adjust your 2018 strategy
The Annual
Big Ten List Page 13
January 2018 Volume 25, Number 1 hme-business.com
Annual Oxygen
Market Outlook
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