Q&A " McDevitt: Technology enhances patient care

After several years of consulting HME providers, Anna McDevitt says it was serendipity that led her to switch sides.

Both companies had similar views in how they'd like to see technology make the delivery of post-acute care easier, she said.

“I care a lot about what happens to the people we take care of in this industry and I was excited by how important the patient was in figuring out solutions for the LifeH2H team,” she said.

McDevitt spoke with HME News recently about how technology and patient care go together.

HME News: You're used to running your own show. How's the onboarding been going?

Anna McDevitt: One of the things that has impressed me is Dewey (Roof's) mission statement of keeping patients as a central focus for all of his team and doing your best work. “What's the right thing to do” is a theme around here.

HME: LifeH2H is creating a technology-based solution, but is the human touch still an important element of patient care?

McDevitt: Software is great. I love it, but when we get human beings interacting with each other, software really enhances that human interaction, which I think is important.

HME: Do providers need to take a more sophisticated approach to patient care in general to grow?

McDevitt: More decisions are being made in the boardroom and if you are not used to or willing to compete at that level, I think it makes it really hard for you to grow. It's about becoming clinically relevant and figuring out what niche you fit in. For some, that niche is home mods, for some it's hospice and assisted living, for others it's complex rehab. For us, it's focusing on transitioning out of the hospital and what does that look like. How can you take in all of the factors—not just the equipment?