HME News in 10

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by VGM Insurance Services.

Today’s guest is Blair Eichenberger, vice president of marketing for VGM Insurance Services. She joins HME News in 10 to talk about the Cs of workers’ compensation: cost, claims process, coverage network and compliance. She also talks about how a holistic approach to workers’ comp is about more than a policy and why it’s beneficial to...

Today's guest is Allen Hunt, president of Hart Medical Equipment, a health system-owned HME provider in Southfield, Mich. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about why conversations with referral sources shouldn't be about saving on the cost of a walker but about speeding up access to care - the true source of cost savings. He also talks about the HME provider’s role as an extension of the health system.

Hosts: Liz Beaulieu Theresa Fla...

Today’s guest is Ryan Colby, who spent seven years at Uber and who is now head of go-to-market for Tomorrow Health. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about how companies with marketplaces like Uber and Tomorrow Health “succeed or fail based on how well they serve the supply side” – a big reason why he’s spending a lot of his time meeting with and getting feedback from HME providers. Colby also talks about how to take a process from “...

Today’s guest is Alex Hoopes, director of Healthcare Innovation for Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions. Hoopes joins HME News in 10 to talk about the “signals” pointing to hospital-at-home as the next frontier in health care and Cardinal Health’s efforts to build the middle- and last-mile infrastructure needed to make it an increasing reality. He also talks about how the transition will take “an army of partners,” including HME prov...

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by McKesson.

Our guest is Bonnie Jablonowski, director of product and portfolio management for McKesson. She talks about the benefits of leveraging connected patient engagement technology to free up staff from having to manually call patients for resupplies, key in orders, confirm insurance and more. For more information, go to mms.mckesson.com.

Hosts: Liz Beau...

Today’s guest is Tyler Riddle, CEO of MRS Homecare, a Georgia-based full-line home medical equipment provider. Riddle joins HME News in 10 to talk about why the needle is finally moving in Washington, D.C., on the importance and benefits of HME, and how the 22-year-old staffers working in congressional offices “rule this country.” Come for the lobbying advice; stay for the Dax Shepard and Coen brothers references.

Hosts: Liz Beauli...

Today’s guest is Brad Smith, a managing partner at Vertess. Smith joins HME News in 10 to talk about why deal activity was slower than he anticipated in Q1 – his firm closed three deals – but will heat up, particularly in Q2 and Q4. He also talks about the role of the $2 trillion worth of liquidity in the financial market right now and valuations that are “creeping down but still robust.”

Hosts: Liz Beaulieu Theresa Flaherty

Guest:...

Today’s guest is Boone Lockard, the new director of VGM Respiratory, who has spent 12 years working on both the provider and manufacturer aisles of the industry. Lockard joins HME News in 10 to talk about why there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the CPAP market, how the new NCD for oxygen will be a “big win” and why there’s promise in resurging value-based care models.

Hosts: Liz Beaulieu Theresa Flaherty

Guest: Boone Locka...

Today’s guest is Laura Williard, vice president of payer relations for AAHomecare. Williard joins HME News in 10 to talk about how the growing Medicare Advantage market creates opportunities for HME providers. With more insurers entering the market – many of them smaller and more willing to think outside the box – providers have a better chance of getting in-network, developing close relationships, and shaping everything from polic...

Today’s guest is Dexter Braff, president of The Braff Group, a health care M&A advisory firm. Braff joins HME News in 10 to talk about Owens & Minor’s planned acquisition of Apria and how the deal represents the “end of an era” for M&A in the HME industry. Listen to find out why the deal’s estimated $1.45 billion value is not what it seems and how it’s another sign of the seismic shift toward more care in the home.

Hosts: Liz Beaul...

Today’s guest is Andrea Stark, the founder and head of reimbursement at MiraVista LLC. Andrea joins HME News in 10 to talk about the biggest development in the HME industry in 2021: a new national coverage determination for home oxygen therapy that expands coverage to acute conditions and cluster headaches, and eliminates the CMN requirement. “We haven’t experienced a coverage expansion like this in recent history,” she says. Liste...

Hear Jonathan Sadock talk about how the momentum for M&A in HME is the strongest it has been since 2011, when Medicare launched its competitive bidding program. He says well-established, profitable and contractually strong HME companies stand to benefit in an M&A market where demand for their “essential services” is at an all-time high. Find out how he describes the M&A market in one word, what he sees as the biggest deal this year...

Linda Rouse O’Neill, vice president of supply chain policy and executive branch relations for the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA), talks about “creative partnerships” between distributors and providers to increase inventories and identify substitutions in the face of difficult and prolonged supply chain constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She talks about how we got here – “That is a $10 million question right ...