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“Equipment manufacturers will often provide quick reference guides that can be left behind with patients for further education, as well,” he ads. “These are helpful tools in the event patients run into problems. Frequent follow up with the patient is necessary to ensure the equipment meets their needs and they’re not having any issues.”
Finally, for LaCute, it is imperative to under- stand your patient base.
“For anyone considering getting more involved in the POC market, rst understand your current portable patient base and work associated with it,” he says. “I would determine the following: What is the average patient tank usage monthly? How many stops per month does the popula- tion receive? How many tanks per month do they receive on average? And what percentage of your tech stops are for tank-related actions?
“Once you have this info, evaluate the POC market,” LaCute advises. “There are a variety of options now that t the need. Cost can vary widely but it is coming down while reliability continues to improve. Lastly, empower your
intake staff and service techs to determine which patients get what. We use a series of questions that help guide staff to the right option. Factors include liter ow, patient activity level away from home, home environment and patient hygiene among other things.”
Once implemented, it is very important
to monitor results, LaCute emphasizes. If unchecked, a staff will generally go for the POC before using other options.
“Each month we look at the portable oxygen setups and determine what percent received tanks, POCs or a trans ll system,” he says. “I am
a rm believer that all three options are the way to go. In today’s environment, you must deter- mine who gets what, not your sales reps, not your patients and not your doctors. If you stick to you guns, your ROI will improve in your portable oxygen population.” n
“Do not just create a program with a manufacturer, and ‘set it and forget it.’ This almost never works. Be sure to establish a regular meeting cadence and use this formula to share ideas of what is working and what is not for continuous improvements.”
— George Coppola, CAIRE Inc.
Joseph Duffy is a freelance writer and marketing consultant, and he is a regular contributor to HME Business and its supple- ments. He can be reached via e-mail at joe@prooferati.com.
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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 improved reputation with referral partners, and there’s a lot to be said for that model
p r o T v h i e d n e r t s h e t o r e l ’ o s o t k h e i n i t mo p n e e t w u s b f u o s r i n o e x s y s g e n mc o o m d p e e l s t i g t i i v v e e n b i p d r d e i s n s g u r a e n s d s u t h c e h “ a h s e r e t o
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 wd i e t l s l a I f s pthreoivridmearrsgcinasn’tth ronudgwhaiynsctroearseeindforce ebfe cbiehnicnyd, theirebigohttobmalll ine will soon 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
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?
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, they lead extremely active lifestyles, with even their eldest members engaging in serious athletic pursuits,
s i n u t c o h r a e s t i r m e ma r e a t n h t o , b n o s o a mn d e r t s r i a w t a h n l o t n t o s k W e e e p ll
l t i h v e i n y g c i a n n d , e a p n e d n n d e e e n d t l y m f e o d r i a c s a l l o p n r og d a u s c t s 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
c r e o n e s c u t m t h e e r mt a s G t e o s n a e n d a r w e a t h n e t p d r a o y d s u o c f t s t o
“ F b o e r n i n t s m t a e n t c a e l ” , l w o o h e k i n n g i t a c o t b m a e t s h t s o a f H e Mt y E products, Boomers want tastefully designed items that will look at home in their interior design They expect HME products to re ect those kinds of consumer-culture sensibilities
Those are just two facets of how the Baby Boom represents an entirely new marketing and sales challenge for HME providers Read this month’s cover story to learn more
Piecing Together
What’s Inside:
SleepBusinessStrategy 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, HME Business
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
i a n n d d u ws t e r y a t h h a e s r e s e d e t n h e m m a s Ns i v o e w c , h n a e n w g e s
sptrroavteidgeicrscsocnracmerbnlsindgo nIn’tsstenad changes g r e e s t p t o h n e s me s t h t oi n t k h i n o g s e a t b r oe un t d ns , o b t u o t n t l hy e t h e
p o S t e u n f t c i a e l u t o p s s i a d y e , s 1 , 0 a y s e wa r e s l l l a t e r , t h i s l i s t s W e h r v e e r s e a t h n i s e n y e t i a r e r l i y s d c o i f n f e c r e e r n n t e md , i n t h d e s e t 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
20 HMEBusiness | March 2018 | hme-business.com Management Solutions | Technology | Products
Leap of Faith
As the Baby
2018
November 2017 Volume 24, Number 11 hme-business.com
December 2017 Volume 24, Number 12 hme-business.com
10 key trends that will impact providers this year.
Respiratory providers waiting in the wings need to take the portable oxygen plunge.
HME’s Next Generation
How Providers Can Connect with Baby Boomers
Annual Oxygen
Market Outlook
Page 14
Reaching
Baby Boomers
Page 14
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Accreditation Renewal Time 21 News, Trends & Analysis 8
WoundCareOpportunities 14 Portable Oxygen Solutions 26 HMEProductInventory 28 SalesCoachingvsManaging 30
Harvesting
Providers Must Mine the Deep Roots of Their Patient Data
Like ancient oak trees with roots that delve deep into the earth, HME providers can tap into vast storehouses of patient data And truly, that data is worth a fortune
As providers work to expand their revenue streams in the face of declining public and private payer reimbursement, they must work to maximize their existing patient relationships, and also develop new appeals that resonate with entirely new clients and referrals The data that providers amass over the course of doing business and providing care can help make that happen
Unfortunately, most providers aren’t leveraging their data to anywhere near the level they should be They need to understand the elements that make up an effective data mining strategy and understand the sorts of measures, procedures and technology tools they need to implement in order to carry out that plan Moreover, there are a number of concerns related to digging into and using patient data, such as legal considerations, that providers must incorporate into their data mining strategies
This month’s cover story examines the various aspects of data mining and how providers can start digging into their patient data to produce results that will help their businesses grow
Harvesting
Your Patient Data Page 16
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February 2018 Volume 25, Number 2 hme-business.com