Page 12 - HME Business, July/August 2022

Problem Solvers By David Kopf
Getting Back to Basics With Equipment Management.
The increased emphasis on infection control has made this funda- mental HME business process all the more critical. What goes into effective, optimized equipment management?
An HME provider’s equipment is one of its biggest assets, and the provider should treat it that way, particu- larly now, given the Covid-19 public health emergency, supply chain issues, increased focus on infection control, and the need to demonstrate expertise and professionalism to patients, caregivers and referral partners.
Sandy Canally, RN, the founder and CEO of accrediting organi- zation The Compliance Team (thecomplianceteam.org), sat down with HMEB to talk about how equipment management fits into standards compliance and overall business success. She explains what goes into effective equipment management practices; how the COVID-19 public health emergency impacted equipment manage- ment; and how those lessons will pay dividends well after the end of the public health emergency..
HMEB: Why is equipment management so important?
Canally: Managing equipment is what a DMEPOS provider does; it is linked to their identity. And providers are basically telling the world that they’re an equipment company, so they should have the greatest amount of expertise in managing their equipment, and what they’re known for by their patients.
The other thing is, it’s related to risk for their company; with supply and demand, whether or not they can get the appropriate accessories, and parts, and the money linked to their inventory. So, they need to manage it well.
One of the things that providers need to do is to look at their ware- house and storage areas, as well as delivery vans, comparing it to the manufacturer guidelines. Testing their equipment tracking system. And can they link each piece of equipment to a patient to show where the oxygen concentrator is at. So, it really is very involved and very necessary to operate a good business as a DMEPOS provider.
HMEB: The Compliance Team is an accrediting organization, of course. How does equipment management factor into accreditation?
Canally: The easy answer is, it’s directly related to manufacturer guidelines. So basically, what we do, as an accreditor, is verify that the provider is meeting what needs to be done for the various parts of equipment they provide. Whether it be oxygen, CPAP, or wheel- chairs, each manufacturer has guidelines for how to handle and manage the equipment.
So, what we do, as an accreditor, is actually walk through. I always
said, when I started an on-site evaluation, I started in the warehouse, because it really told me about the company and what to expect. If they did a good job in the warehouse in managing their equipment, then it has that trickle-down effect, impacting everything else they do.
HMEB: Regular, preventative maintenance plays a role in this. Do providers have to keep a history of equipment maintenance as part their policies and procedures?
Canally: Basically, we refer to it as the equipment history record, where they’re logging in where that piece of equipment is going, from location to location. So, this device is with Mr. Smith, then it goes to Mrs. McGillicuddy, then it goes to Mr. Jones. And what happens to that piece of equipment in between, with it being cleaned, with it being tested. Make sure that you have a record of all those things. If there was any kind of breakdown and need for repair in between. As well as documenting the preventive maintenance, certain things like filters being changed in between going from one patient to another.
And one of the things — and this story happened years ago, before everybody had their inventory computerized and was using the computer to track their equipment — a lot of the providers would have were binders of these equipment history logs. And there was one provider that had a fire in their place, in their warehouse, and they had to grab what was most important. They told me that they
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“Success is directly linked to three things: One, did the provider deliver what was ordered? Two, was the patient properly instructed and knows how to operate it when
they leave the house? Also, was the product or equipment clean and in good working order and performing according to expectation when they delivered it? Those are key items.”
— Sandy Canally, The Compliance Team