Consultancy Project Approach
Approach & Methodology with Individual HME Organizations:
- Developed and implemented a Policy and Procedure Manual:
- That allowed organizations to meet accreditation standards from any of the ten CMS-approved accreditors.
- That was easily customizable to meet the individual HME organizational specifics (geography, equipment type, payer mis, etc.).
- That provided an internal tracking process which maximized efficiencies and reduced errors and re-work.
- Developed a dual approach to accreditation preparation, using both on-site and remote consulting which accommodated most operational and budget models
- The consultation process included, but was not limited to:
- Significant leadership training.
- Staff training.
- Payer mix analysis.
- Billing practices.
- Operational analysis.
- Geography served.
- Sales and marketing analysis.
- NCB consultation focused on the organization’s understanding of both the potential revenue as well costs for each bid, developed through a detailed revenue/cost analysis process.
- Developed and implemented a standardized financial costing model and template that assisted the organization in submitting successful bids.
Project Description
Client: Preferred Relationship with International Home Medical Equipment Manufacturer
Category: Medical Equipment Manufacturer
Date: 2008
Consulting Firm: HME Professional, Hustonville, KY
Assigned Consultants:
- Robert Floro – current consultant with Everything Sleep Consulting
- Steve Vinci – current consultant with Everything Sleep Consulting
- Mitch Naylor – HME Professional partner
Services Provided:
- Developed and implemented a Policy and Procedure Manual
- Developed a dual approach to accreditation preparation
- Consultation for leadership training, staff training, billing, operations, sales and marketing
- Developed and implemented a standardized financial costing model
Problems:
- Threat on the HME industry by newly implemented federal requirements.
- Limited number of accredited HME organizations.
- Limited individual HME providers’ knowledge in achieving accreditation and navigating the NCB process.
- Potential loss of a significant number of HME providers in the U.S.
- Potential significant loss of business by a major international HME manufacturer resulting from newly implemented federal requirements.
Challenges:
- Thousands of HME companies in the U.S. were required to achieve accreditation in a relatively short period of time
- Mandatory accreditation and NCB affected all providers and equipment types, from those most complex (e.g. Home Ventilators) to the least complex (e.g. Incontinence Supplies)
- Prior to mandatory accreditation, there were only three accreditors recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) to perform accreditation surveys and award accreditation. Under the new Mandatory Accreditation rules, that number was expanded to ten.
- As a result of these changes, and some unclear communication from CMS, there was significant confusion in the industry
- The was minimal understanding of the competitive bidding process by many HME organizations.
- Many consulting firms lacked the accounting expertise that would enable them to assist in preparation for the NCB process.
Results:
- The Manufacturer:
- Communicated with their sales force to promote HME Professional consultants.
- Provided incentives for their sales staff who connected HME Professional consulting firm with interested customers
- The Consultant:
- Shared booth with the manufacturer at Medtrade (largest national HME conference).
- Assisted several organizations in cost analysis to create equipment category bids for all competitive bid areas.
- Were engaged by numerous organizations through this manufacturer relationship to provide accreditation preparation for all accrediting organizations.
- 100% of the organizations engaged through this relationship achieved or renewed accreditation.