HME Higher Learning

For providers, sharpening their business game means sharpening their minds.

• By David Kopf
• Dec 01, 2009

A provider cannot afford to ignore any asset that might help find new efficiencies or uncover new opportunities in such a difficult funding landscape. Margins are down and providers must develop new skillsets that can help them survive the tough times, so they can thrive in the future. Professional education for both staff and management can help providers acquire those skills and instill the knowledge that will drive new ideas.

“Continuing education for the HME industry is absolutely paramount,” says Ty Bello, RCC, president and founder of HME education firm Team@Work. “We are trying to raise the bar on our staffing and in doing so, we have to bring education to them so that they can perform better in their jobs. … The patients that we are taking care of deserve our absolute best, and our employees deserve the absolute best training and education that they can get.”

From a business standpoint, professional education can help HME business owners increase their operational efficiencies by learning and implementing best practices and new technologies in their business. It also helps raise the industry’s profile, says John Domanick, director of clinical education and development for Invacare Corp., which operates the Clinical and Reimbursement Education Series (CARES) of professional education courses, some of which include CEUs.

“Collectively, continuing professional education demonstrates a firm commitment to high quality and high standards in the provision of home medical equipment and services,” he says. “And [it] can help dispel some of the ‘bad press’ sometimes attributed to our industry by a few bad apples.” And of course it helps HME professionals maintain and update their skillsand knowledge as well, which can be a requirement for doing business. Many specialists in the homecare industry need to maintain certifications and licenses, and continuing education is required in those cases, says Scott Sergeant, manager of e-learning development for VGM Group Inc., which operates VGM University, VGMU Extension and mov-E (medicalonline video education).

“From a clinical standpoint, professional education is important to not only maintain certain professional certifications and credentials, such as for OTs, PTs and respiratory therapists, but also important to stay current on new technologies and innovations that help provide better patient outcomes,” Domanick says.

“So the value to the provider, one, is that the staff member who has that license or certification has the training behind them, and that brings a tremendous benefit to the provider,” Sergeant says. “The value to the provider going forward is to help that staff member maintain that license or certification.”

Also, another business necessity linked to professional education is accreditation. Each of the accreditation organizations has outlined continuing education requirements to which accredited providers must adhere. “Providers are required to provide continuing education to employees, once they are accredited,” Sergeant says. “That’s another huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to continuing education. No matter where the provider is going to get it, it is still going to be required to offer it to employees.”

Other Benefits

Education is also a differentiator. Patients and referral partners can feel a certain level of trust working with a business they know has made a commitment to stay up to date on industry and healthcare developments and changes. They know that provider is constantly trying to improve service.

“A commitment to continuing education by HME professionals helps demonstrate and reinforce to patients that ‘We’re committed to providing high-quality products and services with high standards to improving patient outcomes,’” Domanick explains. “It’s not a panacea, but it does help demonstrate commitment. Some patients do seek assurance that the provider they’re dealing with is high quality and service-oriented.

“Professional education, along with accreditation and other quality assurance measures, helps reinforce that notion,” he continues. “If your car needs to be repaired, would you feel better taking your car to an ASE-certified mechanic or to just any repair shop?”

“I would think that if a patient knew that a provider had someone on staff that has the background and education, that would play a big part in where they go,” Sergeant adds. “It would for me.”

Patients benefit from having the confidence that their needs are being taken care of in a time that can be confusing, adds Mike McKillip, director of events and business solutions for The MED Group, which offers various industry courses. “Any time you can take the mystery out by raising your level of expertise, you raise your level of being a trusted advisor,” he says.

The same holds true for referral partners, Domanick contends: “Professional education and credentialing can most certainly differentiate providers in the marketplace, and providers would do well to market that advantage if they can demonstrate how it sets them apart and above their competitors.”

“In giving employees these opportunities for CEUs, we are raising the bar for how we are delivery services to the end user and the referral community,” Bello says. “The referral community is looking for organizations that are making these kinds of investments in their staffs, and we need to let the referral community know we are investing in our staff and their ongoing training and education.”

While educating staff might not necessarily be the thing that wins over a referral service, it can only help. Bello says he makes it a point to actually use it as an active selling point. Moreover, staff should be conveying that value in their meetings, as well.

“The playing field is starting to level out again,” McKillip adds. “It used to be accreditation was the differentiator. With more providers accredited, a provider will have to continue to show why they are the ones [trustworthy] enough to place someone’s wellbeing into their hands. Having an ongoing educational plan instills a lot of trust in that company.”

Getting Started

So how does a provider get started in terms of professional education? Which staff should get trained? Is there an outline as to what courses are appropriate? Obviously a good starting point would be to identify and take advantage of any existing resources. For instance, if a provider is a member of a purchasing group or member services organization in the industry, typically those organizations provide education services.

And, of course, there are independent professional education sources serving the HME industry and trade events, such as Medtrade, that offer education opportunities, as well.

Additionally, the provider should investigate as to whether or not their manufacturers provide courses. Many vendors are offering HMEs courses as a long-term strategy to make their customers more successful, and thus bigger buyers. So they see professional education as an investment. For instance, Pride Mobility has pursued offering professional education to its providers for a decade. Currently, it offers courses through Pride University and Quantum University (for its rehab counterpart, Quantum Rehab).

“We started it up back in 1999 and the seminar part began in 2000, and we did that because we saw the demand and need for education on a more formal level,” says Dan Fedor, general manager of education & compliance for Pride Mobility. “Those courses eventually became Pride University. As times have changed, the demand for education has increased, and that has allowed us to expand even further.”

(Turn to “Learn More: Professional Education Providers in the HME Industry” to see a sample of some of the various professional education sources available to providers.)

And in the vase of vendor-driven education, this can be especially helpful when it comes to product knowledge, Fedor notes. “We felt that it’s really important to have that education to know the product better,” he explains. “If you know the product, then you can select the right product for the patient up front, get them in the right product, fit them correctly for it — which will definitely yield a better outcome for the end user — and just have more familiarity with the product.

“Knowing how to repair a product is one area we focus on,” he adds. “Having the technicians knowing how to quickly repair products, troubleshoot them in a timely fashion and get them back up and running for the patient helps everyone.”

Once the provider identifies the education opporopportunities available, it must then formulate a plan. That plan should start by asking staff, Bello says. The provider will most likely have a good sense of what it wants to offer staff, but should also provide staff a comprehensive list of courses and have them provide feedback on what could help.

“I always say that you should survey your staff to see what they need and supplement that with what you believe they need,” he says.

“Continuing education should align with the specific personnel role,” Domanick says. “A first step is to determine what disciplines are applicable to the role. Is it business practices? Clinical? Reimbursement? All of the above? Once the disciplines are identified, you can then research what educational content or coursework is available, and how and when is it offered.”

“What are the types of courses owners/operators/ managers should take versus staff, or is there a difference? There is a huge difference,” McKillip adds. “A number of clinicians ended up being providers without the benefit of a business background. They need an understanding of customer service and reimbursement, but also subjects like employment law, leadership, business planning and more. There are not many places they can get this, especially if they want it specific for the HME industry.”

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of HME Business.