Page 18 - HME Business, March 2018

TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Portable oxygen can revolutionize respiratory providers’ businesses, but there’s no room for half measures. We talk to experts to see how HMEs can hit new heights.
THREE KEY PORTABLE OXYGEN OUTCOMES ARE READILY ACCEPTED BY THE HME INDUSTRY: Portable oxygen drastically cuts overhead costs for providers, delivers increased ambula- tion and independence for users, but it requires a full effort to succeed.
Portable oxygen offers many bene ts to providers and patients, but do providers need to stop all oxygen deliveries tomorrow? Nick Jacobs, senior director of respiratory for Invacare Corp. said he doesn’t think so. That said, should they start the transition right away? Absolutely.
“One of my favorite quotes is from retired U.S. Army General Erik Shinseki, who said, ‘If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.’ That describes where we’re at today with delivery models,” Jacobs says.
There are two reasons why providers generally fail when transitioning to a non- delivery model, he said. The rst reason is a lack of enforcement from senior leadership. There are people who will resist change, especially when jobs are potentially at risk. Jacobs says delivery drivers are a good example of this.
“Senior leadership must set the tone that the change is non-negotiable, and everyone needs to be on board,” he explains. “The second reason stems from inadequate patient education. Without proper training, providers will get calls from frustrated and upset patients who
By Joseph Duffy
16 HMEBusiness | March 2018 | hme-business.com
cannot get their equipment to work the way they need it to. The providers that have failed to make the transition have said enough is enough, I’m going back to what I’m comfortable with.”
Portable oxygen in the U.S. market has
undergone some signi cant changes
over the last decade. With the seem-
ingly unending reimbursement cuts, caps and competitive bidding, providers and manufacturers have sought out new ways to reduce the cost of the equipment and service.
Picking the Right Approach
“Implementing a non-delivery model can cut monthly service costs by 40 percent to 60 percent, depending on how many deliveries are made,” says Jim Clement, North American general manager for GCE Healthcare. “Trans ll systems provided a very good option to reduce delivery cost in the drive to non-delivery business models; however, the more recent trend is to use POCs. POCs provide the