Tag: HME NewsPoll
Philips exit: ‘Nothing fazes us anymore'
February 16, 2024Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – A decision by Philips to exit a large chunk of the U.S. respiratory market will have a significant impact on the market, say 70% of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
Philips announced in January that it was discontinuing sales for 19 sleep and respiratory products, including oxygen concentrators and ventilators.
“There are very few big manufacturers left,” wrote one respondent. “Respironics had many high-quality products that will be...
HME providers remain skeptical of CMS’s plans for competitive bidding
June 16, 2023Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – No matter what CMS does going forward with its competitive bidding program, it’s no surprise that the respondents to a recent HME Newspoll feel the program is unsalvageable.
As part of the announcement in May of a temporary gap in the program, CMS stated it plans to “implement necessary changes” to the program to establish sustainable prices and create savings for Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers.
“The bid program should go away,”...
Remote staffing: The new normal?
May 26, 2023Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – HME companies are leaning on remote staffing solutions to help fill vacancies and reduce expenses, according to the results of a recent HME Newspoll.
A large majority of respondents to the poll (85%) cited those two reasons as the key drivers for outsourcing certain operations.
“We have found that using remote staffing is extremely beneficial and affordable,” said Mike Tracey of Aspirus Home Medical Equipment in Wausau, Wis. “Currently,...
Our latest Newspoll tanks, but HME resilience springs eternal
January 18, 2023Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – As far as HME Newspolls go, this one was a dud.
There. We said it.
Since we were working on our January issue at the time, we thought it would be interesting to have providers share what they believed to be their biggest business opportunity and biggest challenge, as they headed into 2023.
It’s hard to say whether providers are too busy to think about 2023 just yet (a mistake) or are simply tired of answering surveys and polls (understandable).
However,...
What's your personality type?
April 16, 2021Liz Beaulieu, Editor
It seems all any of us in the HME industry can talk about these days is in-person events (We are, after all, at the time of this writing, still waiting for the DMEPOS final rule; otherwise, that might be the dominant talking point). Will in-person events happen? Will people go to them?
Certainly by July, the time of the industry’s first planned in-person event – Medtrade West, July 12-14 at the Phoenix Convention Center – all those who want to be vaccinated will be vaccinated,...
Poll: COVID precautions push permanent business changes
March 19, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, HME providers, like many businesses, have adapted to new ways of doing business and many of those changes will become permanent, say respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they plan to make certain changes permanent, including offering drop-shipping or curbside pick-up of equipment.
“In the past, we would do curbside if a customer asked,”...
Providers scramble to keep up
January 22, 2021Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – Eighty-six percent of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say they’re running low on oxygen concentrators, and 88% say they're having difficulty obtaining more.
“Hospitals are full and discharging (COVID-19) patients to complete their recovery with home oxygen therapy,” wrote one respondent. “We are struggling to keep up with the supply and demand due to long delays in shipping of ordered products.”
The...
Supplies market fracturing, poll respondents say
July 18, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - The closures of both a distributor and a provider of urological supplies are signs of a shifting marketplace, say respondents to a recent HME Newspoll.
The majority of respondents to the poll (67%) fear that product choice is becoming more limited in the wake of Peco Medical, which manufactured low-cost ostomy and other supplies, closing June 1.
“We used a lot of the PECO product line,” wrote one respondent. “It will be sad to see another distributor leave...
CBD calls, but will providers answer?
June 14, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - Fifty-one percent of respondents to a recent HME Newspoll say they're considering adding CBD products to their offerings, but they're worried about the possible ramifications to their businesses.
Of those considering CBD, 47% say they need more legal information.
“My concerns are in state and federal regulations,” wrote one respondent. “This affects licensing, purchasing, inventory, distribution and exposure to regulatory audits.”
A provision...
Expect shifts to Medicare's provider base, poll respondents say
August 17, 2018Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - The majority of non-contract suppliers who responded to a recent HME Newspoll (60%) say they won't try to pick up Medicare business starting Jan. 1, 2019.
In a recent proposed rule, CMS outlined its plans to implement an “any willing provider” provision when the current competitive bidding contracts expire, allowing any Medicare-enrolled provider to serve beneficiaries while it overhauls the program.
“I will choose to not service Medicare patients because...