HME is getting more…well, sophisticated

I was reading a study titled “Retrospective Assessment of Home Ventilation to Reduce Rehospitalization in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine when I got an email from a PhD student in accounting at the University of Central Florida.

Jared Koreff is working on a research study related to ZPIC auditors, and he's interviewing HME providers about their experiences dealing with them.

He writes: “I am looking to hear about their experiences dealing with the ZPICs, the tactics they use and the resulting implications, challenges dealing with them, and what information they collect. I am also looking to understand successful tactics to respond to the ZPICs and come up with a list of best practices.”

Koreff plans to present his findings at the AICPA Health Care Industry Conference in November. (Don't worry, I had to look it up, too: AICPA stands for American Institute of CPAs.)

It's not every day that I read about a study in a journal and hear from a researcher at a university on such HME-specific topics.

It's a good thing. Though HME is a small piece of the healthcare pie, this means it's increasingly becoming part of the big-picture conversation.

Think about it…

An HME provider that implemented a multi-faceted intervention program for COPD patients that led to significant reductions in rehospitalization (we're talking 100% readmissions one year down to 2.2% readmissions the next year)?

A researcher studying the minefield of audits affecting the HME industry?

It's practically manna from heaven.

Jared emailed me to see if I would spread the word about his research and to put him in contact with providers that may want to tell their stories, anonymously or otherwise. If you fit the bill, drop him a line at jared.koreff@ucf.edu.