How to Transition to a New DME Provider

As a hospice, you know how critical it is to provide your patients with the durable medical equipment (DME) they need for optimum quality of life. That makes DME providers an essential partner in your patients' care.

If your vendor has become unreliable, unaccountable, unresponsive, or no longer a good representation of your hospice, it may be time to consider changing DME providers. However, if not handled correctly, the process can create disruptions that threaten your patients' quality of care. 

Why Hospices Switch DME Providers

Hospices have many possible reasons for changing DME providers, such as: 

• Negative impact on CAHPS surveys from DME management company and providers

• Delayed delivery or pickup, creating a burden on your staff

• "Upselling" additional non-formulary items or de-bundling previously included items

• Poor customer service

• Limited equipment offerings

• Rising costs or budget constraints

You don't have to continue accepting these problems, especially from such a strategic aspect like DME at your hospice. The main reason people are understandably reluctant to change is because change includes risk. However, a well-planned process, which your preferred DME management company should provide, is a thorough implementation plan where the vast majority of the responsibilities for success rest with the management company. Essentially, you retain control while the management company focuses on what changes are needed at your hospice. 

"Impossible" or "painful," you say? Not at all. It's being done by great hospices every day. Here's how.

Preparing for a Seamless Transition

Some important DME transition tips are:

1. Identify your current DME needs: What factors are prompting you to consider changing DME providers? Does your current one have too limited a selection of DME inventory to meet your patients' needs? Are you dissatisfied with its customer service? Are its costs rising too high? Equipment quality not up to your standards? A firm grasp of your pain points will help you know what to look for in your next DME provider. 
2. Survey the landscape: Unlike Rx and medical supplies, DME has a geographic constraint aspect to consider. The number of possible DME providers often varies based on your location, scope of practice, and other factors. Take time to evaluate your DME network — it doesn't have to take long. Simply ask your clinical team in each of your markets to provide you with their top two or three vendors. You may see some of the same names, but you will often see a good variety since DME quality comes down to people, and people differ from market to market. But that's okay!
3. Thoroughly evaluate new candidates: Once you've narrowed the field to a few candidates, research and ask questions about their operations, comparing what they offer in inventory, customer support, delivery protocols, software environment, and costs. We will be glad to provide an RFP format/checklist as a helpful resource. While you expect clear answers from vendors, the best source of information is other hospices. Reach out to neighboring hospices and find out if they're using any particular service.  
4. Set clear transition goals: After you've found a match, set a timeline for the transition. Lay out expectations in clear language in your service level agreement (SLA), and make sure your new provider can pick up where the former one left off.

As you tackle the many challenges of delivering quality hospice care to your patients, the added workload of switching DME providers can be daunting. This is the time to make the changes your hospice needs with a true DME partner. As for Qualis, we handle the traditional angst of switching providers so you can focus on offering exceptional hospice care. Plus, as far as DME provider references go, you can likely "have your cake and eat it too" as you retain those vendors serving you well and pair them with Qualis' proprietary support systems. 

Setting Your Hospice Up for a Successful Switch

Delivering quality hospice care to your patients requires deep collaboration and clear communication among all parties. Identifying your DME needs, evaluating candidates as potential providers, coordinating delivery timelines, informing the necessary stakeholders about changes, and communicating new processes to your staff are just a few tasks involved in switching DME providers. 

We know it sounds overwhelming, but it's really not. Plus, the changes you implement will help with strategic improvements to patient care and staff engagement. Having a true partner in DME really does matter, and a smooth transition is possible.

Qualis is the nation's first DME management company. We provide comprehensive transition support for hospices and work alongside them to find a DME vendor that suits their needs. We help hospices identify opportunities for cost savings and operational improvements, eliminating pain points in your DME processes. The result is closer collaboration between hospices and DME vendors, faster and more accurate DME delivery to your patients and, ultimately, better patient care. 

If you'd like to learn how Qualis can make your DME provider transition smooth and seamless, contact us today to see how we can help.