HME Is Going Digital. What’s Next?

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Parachute Health white paper: A Vision for a More Connected Future of HME

The home medical equipment (HME) industry has spent years moving away from faxes, phone calls and paperwork. Clinicians are placing orders online, suppliers are streamlining intake, and technology is helping everyone work more efficiently.

We recognize and applaud that progress, but there’s still a familiar challenge: An order can be digital and still get stuck between disconnected systems.

A clinician submits an order but needs to call the supplier for an update. A supplier has questions about documentation or reimbursement. A payor needs to confirm medical necessity. Everyone is doing their part, but getting the information they need can still take more work than it should.

At Parachute Health, we’ve spent years helping clinicians and suppliers move HME ordering online. Our new white paper, “A Vision for a More Connected Future of HME,” explores the next opportunity: connecting the people, information and workflows involved in getting patients the equipment they need.

Building a More Connected HME Ecosystem

As demand for home-based care grows, HME suppliers are navigating reimbursement pressures, rising costs and changing relationships with health plans. Clinicians are working to reduce administrative burdens, while payors are looking for greater visibility into the HME benefit and supplier performance.

Technology can help address these challenges, but automating individual processes only goes so far when information remains fragmented.

Greater connectivity can give clinicians better visibility into order status, help suppliers navigate documentation and reimbursement requirements, and provide payors with the information needed to make informed authorization decisions and build high-quality supplier networks.

It can also make supplier service quality more visible, creating opportunities to recognize the value of reliability and patient care beyond cost alone.

What’s Next for HME?

Parachute Health’s digital network now connects more than 300,000 clinicians and 3,000 HME supplier locations nationwide. As our network evolves, we’re focused on connecting more of the HME transaction, including bringing payors into a more coordinated process.

But building a more connected HME ecosystem will take collaboration across the industry. Clinicians, suppliers, payors, health systems and technology partners all have a role to play in making information easier to access, reducing unnecessary administrative work and improving the experience for patients.

Our new white paper explores the challenges and opportunities ahead and how we can work together to build a more connected future for HME.