Top 5 Advantages of Partnering with a Hospice DME Manager

Providing hospice patients care is a non-stop process that keeps staff on their feet. Between managing DME orders, providing hands-on care, and many other responsibilities, teams need help lifting the weight off their shoulders.

As hospice providers try to balance their responsibilities, DME solutions lend a helping hand in an area they need it most. Managing durable medical equipment orders is critical to ensure patients get the necessary equipment on time. Durable medical equipment ensures hospices provide care that allows their patients to live comfortable lives despite injuries or illnesses.

What is a DME Manager? 

A DME manager is a hospice partner that helps centralize everything you need for hospice durable medical equipment orders. They typically also provide a seamless interface solution where everyone on the team can access up-to-date DME orders, invoicing, and even pull reports. Much like a PBM (Pharmacy Benefits Manager) but for DME, they manage the ever-evolving relationship between hospices and their equipment providers.  

Keeping careful track of durable medical equipment orders is often tricky because of the constant fluctuating logistics of DME. Between ordering DME, receiving, modifications, vendor access, and all the accounting-related tasks, hospices don’t have time to handle everything simultaneously. DME solution providers, like Qualis, turn a highly dynamic process into a simple solution for everyone.

Many hospice organizations have now adopted systems for tracking DME orders and invoices. Despite using these personalized systems for so long, DME solutions offer the same results with more benefits!

Here are the top three advantages of using a DME solution instead of managing it yourself.

1. Improved Operational Efficiency 

Regardless of the field, everyone working in healthcare knows optimal organization is key to success. The need for more organization regarding hospice’s durable medical equipment cannot be emphasized enough.

Hospice professionals always seek ways to save time while not missing quality patient care. A DME solution will offer more organization by placing everything you need for DME orders in one central location. Instantly you’ll be able to track every order, find the best equipment vendor, and only receive one invoice.

2. Time Saved by Streamlining Processes

When trying to save time, the seconds add up to minutes and the minutes add up to hours. Finding ways to devote more time to streamlining DME workflows will increase your employees' productivity levels, allowing them to provide a greater level of care for patients.

A DME solution will provide vital time-saving benefits by taking the guessing game out of DME ordering and tracking. Additionally, DME solutions cut out the extra steps by providing a one-stop solution for all your hospice’s DME needs.

Everyone can save critical time that can be better used catching up on patient charts, providing care, or even just catching a break.

3. Increased Vendor Network

One of the biggest struggles many hospices face is having good vendor connections. There are many instances where hospices are limited to only one vendor, which limits DME options. Hospices shouldn’t have to risk quality of care because they simply don’t have the right vendor connections to find better, or available, DME.

DME partners provide hospices with more vendor connections to help increase their chances of finding the right DME for their patients. By opening up the network of available vendors, hospices can find the right DME for their patients and still get prompt delivery.

4. Improved Hospice CAHPS Scores

In 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began developing the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. It was created to provide a consistent survey tool for caregivers to score experiences related to how well the hospice served their patients and themselves.

Of the 47 questions asked, 40% are something the hospice Durable Medical Equipment solution directly impacts. These 19 questions relate to how the caregiver perceives the quality of care for their loved one. Specific to DME, six categories are directly affected by the hospice’s DME vendor: Communication with Family, Getting Timely Help, TreatingPatient with Respect, Training Family to Care for the Patient, Rating of the Hospice, and Willingness to Recommend the Hospice.

In August 2022, CMS began providing a star rating based on CAHPS survey results. This five-star rating allows prospective patients and caregivers to quickly review a visual indication of quality. Equally important is to consider the near future as the hospice industry transitions from a fee-for-service model to a value-based model. As the hospice industry transitions to a more value-based model, CAHPS ratings will be paramount to participation.

Qualis clients score higher on their CAHPS survey results than their national and state competitors. Qualis assists clients achieve higher CAHPS scores in various ways. Download our latest whitepaper to see exactly how Qualis has helped over 90% of clients increase their CAHPS scores.

5. Advanced Patient Care

Partnering with a hospice DME manager can improve patient care. Partners like Qualis work closely with vendors to provide high-quality equipment that meet the unique needs of hospice patients. They can also provide training and support to hospice agencies on how to use the equipment effectively. By partnering with a hospice DME manager, instead of spending time on time-intensive administrative tasks, hospices can focus on providing high-quality care to their patients and improving their quality of life in their final days.

Finding A DME Solution 

When it comes to finding the right DME solution for your hospice, Qualis has everything you’ll need! Qualis has been leading the industry for over a decade, providing hospices with critical resources for better success.

• Our DME management solution is easily customizable to fit your organization’s needs and workflows. Additionally, Qualis will work with your preferred EMR to avoid disruptions in your team’s productivity. 
• Qualis is led by the industry’s best team, seeking a solution to fill a massive hole in the hospice industry’s operations. The founders and leaders of Qualis come from various backgrounds of serving as clinical providers, healthcare operations, and management roles. 
• Implementing Qualis into your organization is easier than ever with our implementation training. To mitigate hold-ups in operations and get ahead of problems early, the Qualis team offers implementation training for all staff before fully integrating the software. 

Qualis’s DME solution is an excellent opportunity to bring much-needed relief, accountability, and organization to your hospice. Your team will ultimately enjoy the never-ending benefits of streamlining DME orders and your patients!    

‍Contact us today to discuss how we can make a noticeable difference in your DME management process.