Page 14 - HME Business, July/August 2022

Problem Solvers
grabbed the binders of the equipment history records, which they had set up according to our standards.
HMEB: How has the COVID-19 public health emer- gency impacted equipment management? If it has changed what providers do, has that change been for the better, or for the worse?
Canally: The pandemic has influenced how the providers manage their equipment in a few different ways. I’ll go back to that preven- tive maintenance where, what’s the saying, “penny wise and pound foolish?” It’s the thought that, “okay, because we have less staff, it will be a little easier on our preventive maintenance to not keep up with it as much because of the pandemic.”
When the reality is that keeping up is exactly what you should be doing. Because during the pandemic, you don’t want to have to go into Mrs. Jones’s house and trade out that concentrator because you didn’t keep up with your maintenance. That’s only bringing more risk to this situation, and needing more equipment that you may not have because of supply chain shortages. I found that to be true, where the feedback is, “well, we don’t have the staff,” or “we don’t have this or that.” And you have to say, wait a minute, you need to factor this in and think about this in a smarter way.
Now, some folks did and continue to have supply chain problems. And it might not be with the actual equipment, but related to any
2022 INDUSTRY INNOVATORS
kind of breakdown with repairs so that they had shortages of parts, or they had to wait for those parts that they needed for the repair.
The other thing that came into play was the disinfecting of the machines; making sure that they were using an approved disinfec- tant; and that they were doing it correctly, especially in the time of COVID. And whether or not delivery processes changed. Whether they left it on the porch, or they left it on the front step, instead of going into the house, because they knew that the patient was COVID positive and had just been released from the hospital. So it definitely, impacted.
Now, on the positive side, it also impacted the providers, getting closer to knowing what met the patient’s expectations. They spent more time on the phone doing follow up. Maybe it wasn’t seeing Mrs. McGillicuddy in person, but it was still that one-on-one. Doing more training over the phone, really reaching out, and having that level of connection with their patient, because of the pandemic.
HMEB: There’s a business aspect to equipment management, as well. Why is this a bottom-line priority?
Canally: Certainly, as an owner, you need to identify areas of risk in your business, and that task is directly related to your equip- ment. Whether or not the delivery vehicle that carries the equipment is well maintained. And every HME provider should be tracking
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