Tag: Efficiency
Reporter's notebook: New year, three goals
December 27, 2013Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - What resolutions do industry consultants have for HME providers for the new year?Eliminate re-work like it's your jobKaren Moore thinks providers should be working smarter and harder in 2014, but mostly smarter. In the wake of competitive bidding, providers are feeling tremendous reimbursement pressure, and they no longer have the time nor resources for “re-work,” she says.“If you look at the top denials for Medicare, it's submitting duplicate claims,” said...
'Fleet management is the way to go'
August 7, 2013Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Invacare is placing its bets on HME providers that use fleet management principles to survive and thrive under competitive bidding.
“As the environment is restructured, what is the most optimal business model for providers?” asked Brian LeDuke, vice president of enterprise marketing, North America, during Invacare Media Day on Aug. 7. “Fleet management is the way to go.”
Invacare officials used Southwest Airlines as an example of how providers can become “breakout performers”...
Efficiencies: Focus on processes, people
March 22, 2013Ryan McDevitt
A. Right now, we are at an area of opportunity in HME. Some may think I'm off my rocker, but let me explain. Our customer base is increasing at record levels, private equity funds are rushing in and technology is creating more efficient ways for us to help our patients. Between CMS's choice to reduce the number of providers and the commercial payer adjustments that will soon follow, I would place my focus on two major points inside of an organization.First, focus on process. Many of us have...
'We are heading into Round 2 lean and mean'
July 19, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
Last month, as part of a Technology Special Report that HME News is putting together and that will appear as an insert to the September issue, I asked HME providers to tell me how they have used technology to change their businesses for the better.
It turns out quite a few of you are smart cookies.
Read what John Marotte, operations supervisor for HomeCare New England in Cumberland, R.I., had to say:
“In December, I rolled out iPads to the field for our service technicians and our respiratory...
Getting down to the business of running a business
March 7, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
I've been talking to a lot of HME providers in the past few weeks about our HME News Business Summit. In a nutshell, I've been asking them: What do you want to know more about?
One provider summed it up pretty succinctly this way:
1.) What are new sources of revenue (mainly new sources of revenue that have nothing to do with the product categories included in competitive bidding)?
2.) How can I improve efficiency (win or lose in competitive bidding, you're going to have to make due with significantly...
Don't let performance improvement fatigue set in
September 26, 2010Chris Calderone
Operational efficiency has become a commonly used phrase as HME providers figure out how to deal with declining reimbursement and rising costs. Loosely translated, operational efficiency means that providers must be intensely focused on continuous process improvement in order to reduce the hidden costs associated with inefficient workflow and sub-optimal processes.
Areas such as intake, billing and distribution are often laden with workflow issues and waste. This means they also offer many improvement...