What do compliance, sales and public relations have in common? For the CPAP business, they all work in concert.

For many home medical equipment providers, each of these functions is performed by different employees. However, this is not necessary. Rather, these functions can be accomplished in one task by one individual.

As every HME company struggles to find ways to cut costs and maintain profitability, it is essential to delve into operational efficiencies. CPAP supply sales is a great way to drive additional revenue while maintaining compliance and generating good will.

COMPLIANCE

You often hear that the biggest obstacle to overcome in the CPAP business is getting patients to remain compliant.

Specifically, many patients use their CPAPs sporadically and inconsistently, if at all. While this may be caused by scenarios outside your control — the common cold, vacations, a leaky mask — you can help improve this problem by staying in contact with your CPAP patients. Further, during a patient's first month of CPAP use, if you follow up on a regular basis, you should find that during the ensuing few months, the patient should become a compliant CPAP user.

FOLLOW-UP

So how do you follow up in the initial phase of CPAP use? The first step is to schedule a regular follow-up call with the patient to determine if he or she is using the device and understands how to clean it properly. If you find that the patient requires more clinical assistance, have a respiratory therapist follow up with a trouble-shooting phone call.

If the RT determines that the case is more complicated, that may require a personal visit to the patient, or the patient may schedule a time to come in for an RT appointment. Most important, by asking pointed questions such as how the mask feels, if patients are experiencing leaking, if they feel more rested during the day, you should be able to correct any problems before they render the patient noncompliant.

PATIENT RANKING

When a patient starts on service, you will quickly know if they are a high- or low-maintenance patient. The RT who sets up the equipment will have a preliminary idea by how cooperative the patient is during the initial set-up.

Assigning a rank to each patient will tell you whether the patient will require more or less frequent follow-up calls or even an on-site visit. If you conduct on-site visits, try to do them at the office to maintain lower costs.

The ranking will also tell you if you can use a technician to follow up, especially for patients who easily grasp how to use and clean the device. (This also depends upon the licensing requirements in your state.)

By establishing this type of protocol, you will use your key staff more wisely and reduce expenses ultimately. A thorough patient training and follow-up is the key to success in creating patient compliance.

SMART CARDS

Although they may be more costly, for some patients, you will want to measure outcomes by computer as provided by the smart cards used in CPAPs. Specifically useful for patients who may not be compliant, you will know exactly how often they are using their machines. In addition, some third-party payers require this data management outcome for continued authorization. Some HME companies dispense CPAPs with smart cards exclusively, while others use them as needed based on patient ranking and/or insurance type.

MEDICARE REQUIREMENTS

While some third-party payers require the actual utilization reports (from the smart card downloads), Medicare simply requires that the patient use the device. Explicitly, the rules require that the patient and/or the doctor be contacted (verbally or in writing) between days 61 and 90 of continuous use, and documentation of this contact is required upon request.