High-Touch Software -- HME Business

High-Touch Software

By Linda Kossoff
Nov 01, 2009

Software for Respiratory Therapists Software systems are rapidly becoming absolute necessities in nearly all businesses and organizations. If, as a respiratory provider, you are attempting to run your business without adequate software, you are likely feeling the strain of trying to keep the pace. The efficiencies provided by software in the areas of billing, accounting, inventory, tracking, recordkeeping, and general workflow are impossible to duplicate by hand.

Yet, you work in a field that is based on personalization. The patients for whom you provide care are individuals with unique requirements. You need a software system (or set of systems) that can increase efficiency without sacrificing the customization that enables you to meet patients’ needs. In short, you need both high-tech and high-touch.

Where Are Your Problems?

It only takes a few hours of looking at software systems to discover that they are not created equal, which makes comparing them seem like an applesandoranges proposition. Your best bet, say the experts, is to start by placing the focus on your own provider business. Think about the size of your patient base and your staff, the range of your equipment and services, the specific needs of the patients, and the external factors such as pending legislation that may affect any or all of these.

“If you’re a small company, you’ll note that some software packages are geared to your needs and are perhaps more affordable, but you also have to decide whether you want to buy what you need now or buy something that you can grow into,” notes Spencer Kay, President and CEO of Fastrack. “It’s important to look at the future when making buying decisions because it can be more expensive to change later.”

Kay suggests that the best way to start assessing your software needs is to ask, “Where are my problems?” If you take a close look at every department of your business, he says, the answer will become apparent. Perhaps turnaround times are lagging, or important details are being overlooked. “Providers should always look for ways they can either cut out steps or cut down on the time it takes to achieve those steps,” advises Esther Apter, CEO of Medforce. “Look to expedite hand-offs from one department or entity to another, for instance. This is where a lot of time is often lost. In general, very little should be done by hand anymore.”

The sheer quantity of paper was a major problem at Northeast Home Medical Equipment in Albany, New York. “We used to scan and save everything,” recalls Vice President/Director Irene Magee. “We were creating from 12 to 15 pages per patient. Now, with our software systems in place, we don’t have to save everything we scan. Plus, there’s no one chasing down charts, and there’s no ‘room of hell’ where the file cabinets live!”

One for All, or Pick and Choose?

Years ago, our choices in software were limited to allornothing systems that could not be adapted to specific business needs. Today, respiratory providers can choose from integrated, all-in-one systems with a myriad of customization options, as well as the new technology of open architecture that allows them to make use of multiple software systems. Valid arguments can be made for each option.

Apter points to the ultimate control inherent in picking and choosing software. “For example, an integrated system may have a strong billing component, but not be as strong in accounting,” she says. “You should be able to select those parts of the system that you need. Today’s software can provide open database connections that allow software to ‘talk to each other,’ providing an implementation capability that wasn’t available before. I believe that no one system can meet everyone’s needs; the trick is open architecture that allows for better customization.”

Helen Kent, owner of Progressive Medical in Carlsbad, California, describes her business before and after she found her winning combination of software systems. “We used to have an old DOS program for billing and it was terrible,” she recalls. “In 2000, we went with Brightree for our billing and then we added
Medforce in 2002. One the best money-saving moves I ever made was to become paperless. I was able to reduce my staff by two. Now everything is scanned into Medforce systems and the two companies’ programs deal with each other.”With Kent’s integrated system, her billing, supply tracking, inventory, and compliance are all covered.

Others make a case for the increased flexibility of an all-in-one integrated software system that enables users to shape it as their own needs, as well as external changes, dictate. For instance, some point of care (POC) systems can now be customized to enable providers to create their own forms, asking for the information they know they need most, in the form they prefer.

Whether you opt for a single integrated system or more than one compatible system, customization is the bottom line for today’s respiratory provider. This is what enables you to embrace today’s technological necessities without giving up your commitment to provide individualized care. A truly customizable software arrangement will streamline your processes, saving you time and enabling you to focus on what matters most.

Web-Based Systems

Today’s option to use Web-based, as opposed to server-based, software has been embraced by providers who find these systems an easy jump from their everyday online activities.

“Internet-based software is easy to learn and navigate because it uses a standard web-browser interface,” explains Mark Blount, President of Marketing, Brightree. “And, of course, Internet-based products deliver maximum flexibility and convenience. Also, many laborious tasks (such as price table, updates, data backups, multi-location networking, and electronic claims transmission) are eliminated, as the software provider handles these tasks centrally from a secure, centralized location.”

“Authorized users can access Web-based software from anywhere and at any time,” agrees Brian Williams, Director of Marketing, CAU (Computer Applications Unlimited). “You just open your browser and it’s available.”

Providers Speak Out

Provider: Northeast Home Medical Equipment
Years in Business: 8
Location: Albany, NY
Customers: 1,600
Staffing: Approx. 27 full-time, 5 per-diem
Monthly Revenue: $340,000

“We looked at every software system available for DME and couldn’t find anything strong enough in every area,” says Irene Magee, Vice President/Director at Northeast Home Medical Equipment, explaining her company’s use of today’s open architecture for software systems. “So, we use Medforce for our electronic patient file, which we use constantly—it’s on everyone’s desktop, and we can access it from home. Then we outsource our billing, and we have access to it online, so we can run our accounts receivable reports and track our orders and billing on the Internet.We have a separate system for inventory which will soon be connected into our billing.We use GPS monitoring for all trucks through a software system that enables reciprocal communication. Since 40 percent of our orders are same-day requests, that’s really important to us. Our ultimate goal is to have a fully automated system.”

The urgency often inherent in respiratory work may lend itself to a Web-based system. “When a referral call comes in as a quote, you can check eligibility online immediately, then schedule the order in the software whether it’s for shipping or delivery,” says Williams. “The system is especially helpful in swapping out oxygen tanks. You can use an ‘auto routing function’ based on zip code and this will bring up a Google Map with the most efficient route, tell you how far it is and how long it will take to get there. For providers, this increases efficiency while cutting down costs.”

Web-based software proponents laud these systems’ ability to morph with continually changing market demands and regulations.Williams cites CAU’s Oxygen Capping Management System, created to help respiratory providers keep track of the schedule complexities imposed by the recent 36-month oxygen cap law (though the company offers this feature on its server-based system as well). “The system will ‘spill out’ patients within the 1-to-36-month range, the 37-to-60-month range, and then above,” he explains. “You can include non-Medicare patients as well, since other payers may go the same way. New patients can be forced into the process at the appropriate place, and everything can be exported to spreadsheets for the provider.”

In Good Company

When you choose a software system, you don’t only choose the system itself—you choose the company that provides it. Long after the ink has dried on your purchasing contract, you rely on that company to provide support in the way of training and advice, repair, troubleshooting, and upgrades. In short, your software company should demonstrate an ongoing commitment to helping you optimize your provider business while using its equipment.

“Respiratory providers should demand only 24/7, live customer care,” insists Blount. “Time is money, and being forced to submit requests for help via email or voicemail and then wait days for a response should not be tolerated. Your software vendor should be able to provide a service level agreement that commits to their response timeframes and details their issue resolution plans.”

As with any major purchase, the best predictors of a successful outcome are your fellow customers—other respiratory providers who have tried and are using current software systems. This goes well beyond perusing a company’s website and reading a series of rave reviews. “Remember that written references and testimonials are just that: things that someone wrote. You have to look past those and actually talk to people who use the system, one on one, without the manufacturer present,” cautions Apter.

“Ask for contacts at businesses similar to yours in size, scope and location, who have moved from your existing product to the product you are considering,” advises Blount. “Failure to readily offer more than 5 to 7 references should be a red flag. Also, learn about the implementation and training processes as well as ongoing customer care.”

Kay agrees. “This may come as a surprise, but not everyone tells the truth when they’re selling,” he quips. “Providers need to verify all of the info they are told.” It’s also important to talk to software users at different levels of experience, he adds. “Older clients may tout something simply because they’ve used it for a long time and it’s familiar, but it may not be the best, or the best for your needs.”

The Price of Inaction

Today’s uncertain economic and political conditions, especially in the area of health care, doesn’t lend itself to making major decisions and purchases. Yet, technology gurus and others argue that now is not the time to become immobile when it comes to finding the right software support for your business.

“People tend to stagnate when they see potential change coming, but that’s why so many small businesses are gone now,” observes Kay. “In the case of the HME business, they aren’t sure what their funding reimbursements are going to be, so they’re not acting. But by using technology, you can control your overhead. Technology is the difference, it’s coming to health care, and it’s going to be forced upon people if they want to stay in business.”

Moreover, having an outdated software system can be just as detrimental. “Increasingly, standing pat on outdated, inefficient software is a ticking time bomb,” confirms Blount. “Moving to a modern software solution can streamline all critical areas of the business to dramatically reduce DSO and increase profitability. Choosing the right system can pay for itself many times over in many ways, including via reallocated workforce, cost savings, and improved cash flow.”

Providers are getting the message. “Reimbursement policies are making staying in business harder and harder for us,” acknowledges Magee. “We won’t cut services to our customers—we don’t want to be the ‘Walmart of oxygen.’ So, we have to reduce our waste, our rework, and our inefficiencies if we’re going to survive.”

Providers Speak Out

Provider: MedEquip
Years in Business: 12
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Number of Customers: 1,003
Staffing: 12 fulltime employees
Monthly Revenue: $280,000

“We use HME software from CAU to facilitate respiratory inventory and claims,” says Kelly Oakley, MedEquip’s billing and collection specialist. “We find that respiratory claims come with so many variables.With oxygen, there has to be testing on file. So our software breaks it all down as far as how to track patients’ needs and all of their documentation.We also take advantage of the oxygen cap reports.With these, we have been able to see which patients have had equipment since before the cap began, and correct the status of many patients to accurately show how many months were captured of rental or payment, then automatically generate the needed bills.”