rtNOW pinch hits with two new services Company puts ‘bullpen’ of 1,700 RTs at industry’s disposal
By Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Updated 8:42 AM CDT, Wed September 1, 2021
.jpg)
MINNEAPOLIS – rtNOW now offers tele-respiratory services specifically for CPAP setup and adherence, and ventilator follow up.
The company works with HME providers to determine the best “insertion point” for these services, whether it’s at the front end when the order comes through or at the back end when patients already have their equipment, says Curt Merriman, chief sales officer and an RT.
“We don’t want HME providers to replace the current staff that they have,” he said. “We want them to be able to augment their staffing capabilities and outsource some of their PAP setups to us, allowing their existing staff to do other things, like in-office visits. RTs wear many hats at HME companies.”
These services give providers an easier way to scale their businesses, says Justin Hawley, chief strategy officer.
“We can take the RT staffing bottleneck out of the way, so they can get to more patients more quickly,” he said. “We have a surplus of RTs who are willing to work for us and provide a relief valve for providers.”
Unlike providers who often struggle to find RTs to work for them – a situation that has become even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic – rtNOW has a “bullpen” of about 1,700 RTs who have expressed interest in working with the company, Hawley says.
“Even for larger companies, it’s not easy to find RTs,” he said. “But the hard part for us is not staffing – it’s inventing new ways to deliver respiratory care to people fast enough to open up those RT jobs and grow tele-respiratory as a whole.”
Comments