According to research, the durable medical industry is valued at over 42 billion dollars and expected to grow. The specific categories showing the most growth include monitoring and therapeutic devices, mobility devices, and bathroom safety devices and medical furniture, in that order.
Common durable medical equipment includes blood pressure monitoring devices, wheelchairs, canes, safety handles, crutches, and walkers. Other equipment includes toilet seats and special mattresses.
Pumps, nebulizers, oxygen equipment, blood sugar monitoring, and insulin pumps are a few more examples of the hundreds of types of equipment patients can use to help improve their overall health and functioning.
Durable medical equipment is something you can offer at the point of care. There are many benefits to providing this service to your patients, some of which are discussed below.
Growth of Home Health Aides and Caregivers
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics report the need for home health aides and caregivers is expected to grow by 13 million in the year 2020, making it one of the fastest growing industries in healthcare.
For you, this means your patients will be depending on someone else to assist in their care.
Home health aides and caregivers often need to use durable medical equipment when providing care. If you can assist them and teach them how to properly use the equipment, your patient’s will benefit.
Dispensing durable medical equipment in your office gives you the chance to provide immediate instruction to both the patient and their aide.
It also means you are saving your patient a lot of time and unnecessary effort.
Patient Convenience and Satisfaction
When you prescribe durable medical equipment, your patients must then travel to a pharmacy to retrieve the item. This can take time that your patients have little of, they are busy just as you are.
Also, if your patients are not clear about your instructions, they may find themselves pondering over the many options available to them at the pharmacy. They can get confused and even decide to leave without the equipment they need.
By selling durable medical equipment in your office, your patients can get the exact product they need, with the proper education they need to use the equipment.
You can feel more confident that your patients are following through with your treatment plan. And when they follow through with your plans, they will see improved outcomes.
Improved Health Outcomes for Patients
You prescribe medicines and durable medical equipment for a reason, to help your patients live better lives. Providing equipment at the point of care ensures your patients are receiving what they need to make a difference.
You can better track patient improvements if you have more control over how they obtain the equipment they need. For instance, if you tell a patient to track their blood sugars and provide them with a 30-day supply of testing strips, needles and a monitor, then you can monitor their refills.
If they are refilling these items every 30 days, you can assume they are on track with their treatment plan. If your patient never requests a refill, you can assume they are not monitoring as you prescribed.
You can match their use of the equipment with how well they are doing physically. If in a follow-up visit, your patient’s health has gotten worse, you can show them how that may be related to their lack of use of the equipment. Or vice versa.
Can Lead to Dispensing Durable Medical Supplies
Durable medical equipment is different that durable medical supplies, but both are equally important to your patients.
Durable medical equipment are products that are reusable, while durable medical supplies are disposable.
Supplies include items such as bandages, testing strips and needles for use with blood sugar monitors, protective gloves, and incontinence products.
They are to be used one time only.
Supplies are small items that can provide your patients a huge convenience if you sell them in-office.
Both durable medical equipment and supplies offer you an opportunity to greatly increase revenue for your practice.
Increased Revenue
You deserve an increase in revenue. Your practice deserves it. You work hard to provide employment and benefits for your staff, care for your patients, and a good income for your family.
But it is likely more money would allow you to do even more.
Providing durable medical equipment in-office takes very little cost to establish, yet it brings in a large return.
You can choose to dispense only the medical equipment you prescribe the most. You purchase the items at a wholesale rate. Then you can mark up the item to a cost affordable for your patient but beneficial to your practice.
Not only are you able to make a profit on the item, insurance companies will reimburse you for the items given to a patient.
The software system provided by in-office dispensing companies makes it easy for you to collect money for the items you sell.
Ease of Getting Paid
Submitting claims to insurance companies to be reimbursed for your patients’ durable medical equipment costs is easy. In fact, the company you choose to hire to set up your dispensing program can connect you directly to the insurance companies’ claims department.
All your staff will have to do is enter the data and hit the send button.
If your patients choose to pay directly for their equipment, printing an invoice is quick and simple. The software program can even help you track inventory and alert you when it is time to reorder items.
Whether an insurance company, Medicare, or the patient is paying for the product, you will find the process simple.
In conclusion, dispensing durable medical equipment is a great way to help you reach your goals of providing better care and increasing patient satisfaction. It can also streamline office tasks for your staff, making them happier as well.
Benefits like these are invaluable to the success of your practice. It’s great that something as simple as dispensing durable medical equipment can help you receive those benefits.