A Complete Guide to HME/DME – Curasev

By May 25, 2022 Blog

Interested in learning about home health solutions? Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’re here to provide you with comprehensive knowledge and guidance on what home medical equipment entails. Curasev provides you with complete assistance to source home medical equipment with complete safety to your customers.

Before this, let’s dive into what home medical equipment actually is and why we need it?

Figure 1 Home Medical Equipment

 

What does HME or DME mean?

Home medical equipment refers to devices that can be used by non-professional caregivers or family members to monitor and care for patients at home or in a private care facility. These are also called “durable” medical equipment (DME) as they are made to be used repeatedly by the patient or non-professionals and can be used at home. Medicare does not consider disposable medical supplies such as bandages, rubber gloves, and irrigation kits to be DME.

In the US, the medical and insurance industries use the following acronyms to talk about home medical equipment:

DME: Durable Medical Equipment

HME: Home Medical Equipment

DMEPOS: Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies

 

What is the difference between home medical equipment and durable medical equipment?

HME services encompass a wide range of facets and are uniquely tailored to the home. These services include everything that is required to assist patients in safely maintaining themselves in their places of residence. HME services have many distinct parts that need to be recognized and paid for.

On the other hand, DME is a tool that can only be used with HME services. Durable medical equipment is the thing that a patient needs to meet a medical need. Durable medical equipment includes walking aids, oxygen tanks, special hospital beds, wheelchairs, special commodes, compressors, and more. Most health insurance companies and Medicare consider these to be DME benefits, especially when a doctor says that using one of these items is a must for your health.

Figure 2 Home Equipment

Advantages of HME/DME:

  • Healthcare organisations are better able to deal with the volume of work that comes their way when they make use of these new technologies.
  • The healthcare industry can maintain service levels despite a shortage of workers without sacrificing quality.
  • Medical devices are an important part of health care systems. Their benefits keep growing because they are needed to prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate diseases and illnesses in a safe and effective way.

 

Best practices for HME/DME companies:

Certain practices should be kept under consideration by home medical equipment providing companies. Some of these major practices are:

  • Delivery and installation of the equipment correctly
  • Ensuring the home environment is suitable and secure for the equipment’s proper use
  • Teaching the patient, their family, and the people who care for them how to use and take care of the equipment is a good start.
  • Informing the patient or caregiver of their respective rights and obligations
  • Providers should be available 24/7 for emergency care.
  • When required, obtain a license or certification to operate in their state.
  • Implement rigorous manufacturer training programs for employees to become proficient in the operation and maintenance of all DME products.

Curasev is a game-changing cloud-based platform that assists DME and HME providers in streamlining their operations and better serving their patients. It provides you with the tools you need to manage everything from intake to business intelligence. Schedule a demo today with us to make your HME/DME processes easier and increase the efficiency of your business.

Contact us via our website or reach out to us by email at [email protected]

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