Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/36985
Technology SPECIAL REPORT MedForce Technologies IT a cure for ‘fear’ I Take a leap toward a more efficient and technologically advanced operation BY JOHN ANDREWS Contributing Editor t is not an exaggeration to say that fear is a predominant feeling in the HME industry today. Sweeping changes to Medicare, such as competitive bidding and heavy reim- bursement cuts, have many providers feeling helpless about the future of their businesses. But instead of giving in to fear, providers should be looking at information technology to make their operations more efficient and competitive, says Esther Apter, president of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.-based MedForce Technologies. “The HME business is a necessary service and the companies that learn how to sur- vive in these times will prosper,” she said. “Overcoming the fear and taking a leap toward a more efficient and technologically advanced operation will enable companies to survive and prosper in the future.” One of the major obstacles to widespread HME adoption of IT is the “fear of change,” Apter said—the reluctance to switch from manual to electronic processes. “After years of using paper to move the process along, it is an adjustment to do things electronically,” she said. “When clothes wash- ing machines first came out, people contin- ued to hand-wash their clothes first before putting them in the machine. This mentality can translate to the electronic process and that obstacle needs to be overcome in order for technology to be embraced.” One area where HME providers can achieve quick gains through automation is with business process management software. MedForce offers a BPM tool designed to increase staff accountability and workload distribution to ensure the company maintains compliance while streamlining processes so that work is done in a consistent fashion. “Technology is a proven way to save money and increase efficiencies,” Apter said. “With reimbursements being cut and documenta- tion requirements being increased, the only way to make a business profitable is to save on operations and increase efficiencies.” HME Philips Respironics becoming nearly impossible to provide sleep therapy without employing technology. Plenty of units allow providers to dial into the unit and download compliance data, but they still require in-home treatment tweaks. “When they needed a pressure change, the provider would have to drive out to the patient’s home to change the device,” said Maura Weis, U.S. sleep therapy marketing manager for Philips Respironics. “You can save $75 by avoiding that trip.” Weis believes the future of sleep ther- apy lies in telehealth technologies like Respironics’ Encore Anywhere—recently updated to version 2.0—which generate compliance data on command, as well as 4 AUGUS T 2 0 1 1 Teleheath: Sleep’s future W BY JENNIFER KEIRN Contributing Editor ith some private payers headed toward the same CPAP compli- ance requirements as CMS, it’s High tech provider How’d you sleep red-flag problems with pressure, continued apneas or snoring. “You can manage by exception,” she said. “You can log in and triage patients who are having problems first.” As a side benefit, the system collects a wealth of useful data for providers, said Weis, such as mask success among certain patients, or patient information sorted by physician. Such technologies can also strengthen collaboration across the patient’s care team, said Weis, because “the DME RT and the sleep tech can be on the phone reviewing the same patient record at the same time.” And lest your RTs fear they’re being replaced by a computer, “they feel it’s helping them with their jobs,” said EncoreAnywhere Marketing Manager Tony Ross. “They’re driving their efforts toward patients who need more care.” HME last night? Each morning, Jeff Eckert and his team of RTs at CressCare Medical check in with every patient to see how they slept the previous night. This doesn’t require hours of phone calls, but rather a quick check of patient data compiled immediately by their EncoreAnywhere system. “It gives us a daily snapshot of how they’re doing,” said Eckert, director of respiratory care for this Harrisburg, Pa.- based provider. “If they have leakage or apneas or hypopneas or snoring, those things can be seen immediately.” Eckert estimates he’s reduced time spent on patient follow-ups by 25%, and he has more of the patient data payers need. “EncoreAnywhere is our chart for the patient,” he said. HME High tech provider The paperless advantage The HME industry stubbornly clings to paper documentation despite ample evidence that automation is more efficient and cost-effective. Why? Casey Hite, vice president of Asheville, N.C.-based Aeroflow Healthcare, posits this theory: “People commonly make the mistake of thinking that paper is what makes things run. It is a physical element seen as the key to managing workflow. Without it, they don’t understand how the process works.” Yet Hite, whose company has been paperless for several years and has grown to seven locations, can’t imagine being dependent on paper anymore. Being electronic, he said, allows the geographical boundaries to vanish. “There is no more passing charts back and forth, no more using mail—our people are right next door to each other no matter the distance,” he said. HME www.hmenews.com