SMART Software

The uncertainty that remains a constant in the home medical equipment industry fortunately is alleviated by the solutions HME software programs offer. Providers can streamline business functions, increase claims accuracy, decrease denials and fully manage their companies' assets while remaining compliant with ever-changing regulations. Yet, a significant challenge remains: How can providers better use available technology to take full advantage of their software's existing features?

Freedom from the burdensome paper trail is a tremendous benefit, particularly in this industry, which is overly dependent on forms. “Instead of being bogged down with paperwork, HME software can take you from your purchase orders right through to electronic claims and accounts receivable as one integrated process,” says Brian Williams, marketing manager for Computer Applications Unlimited in Harrisburg, Pa.

Software packages can make HME operations more efficient, which leads to increased profitability, says Heidi Thometz, director of sales and marketing for Billings, Mont.-based Computers Unlimited. Thometz believes that analyzing business operations and adjusting them accordingly is what HME providers must do to be successful — and software can help them accomplish that objective.

This is true considering the high volume of rentals the industry manages, says Lee Hartz, general manager of Management by Information, Little Rock, Ark. “You have to know where your assets are. Good software allows you to do that, so you can be sure that you not only recover those assets at the end of the rental period from the patients, but that you also are able to perform reimbursement accurately,” he says.

With uncertainty over competitive bidding, a potential CPI freeze and other pending legislation, “Providers need to be asking themselves, ‘How can I make my business more efficient given the fact that my revenue is not going to grow proportionately?’” says Mark Kulik, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Atlanta-based CareCentric. “The answer is technology.”

Beyond Billing

Because billing plays such a significant role in the HME business, it often precludes providers' other concerns. “In this industry, getting paid is so difficult that it becomes the primary goal,” says Thometz. “A lot of the business management practices that can save money, such as inventory control, go by the wayside just because of the work billing involves.”