HQAA Blog

Ending the Year in Style

Posted by Steve DeGenaro on Fri, Dec 15, 2023 @ 03:05 PM

I imagine it’s the same in other industries—December in DME can be a hectic, scatterbrained race to the finish. (“The finish” in this case being the end of the year). Financially speaking, it’s a time to try to maximize earnings and pad the bottom line, wrapping up billing cycles and completing tasks to prepare financially for the new year. Patient/customers that have met their deductible are anxious trying to consume healthcare before a new deductible cycle begins. December 31st is the end of a quarter, the end of a month, and the end of the year and there’s two major holidays –Christmas and New Year to work around. Staff wants to spend time with their families. And of course, company holiday parties abound.

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Topics: Employee Training, Personnel Files, Billing, HQAA Accreditation, Process Improvement, Materials Management, Showroom, Delivery, Warehouse, Customer Service, Disaster Preparedness, Emergencies, Business Practices, Infection Control, DMEPOS

I’m Thankful For...

Posted by Steve DeGenaro on Thu, Nov 10, 2022 @ 09:54 AM

In early November, each year, our minds turn to Thanksgiving. No surprise that Thanksgiving ranks as one of many American’s favorite holidays. It’s a time of positive reflection, a time to literally give thanks for all the blessings in our lives, and the gateway to the triumvirate of important holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Day). And then there’s the food: a grand feast of turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pecan and pumpkin pie. For many people, it’s a glorious four-day weekend of eating, watching football games, visiting with family and friends, and reflection on the past year.

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Topics: Quality, Employee Training, Process Improvement, Showroom, Retail, Delivery, Competence, Work, Customer Service, Business Practices, Marketing, Infection Control, Equipment, DMEPOS

Disclosure

Posted by Steve DeGenaro on Tue, Aug 09, 2022 @ 02:06 PM

A dictionary defines disclosure as “the action of making new information known or the action or process of revealing information.” In the medical world, healthcare providers define disclosure as “a release of information to persons or entities other than the patient who is the subject of the information.”

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Topics: HQAA Accreditation, HME Accreditation Requirements, Compliance, Business Practices, DMEPOS

Competency Assessments

Posted by Steve DeGenaro on Tue, Apr 06, 2021 @ 09:44 AM

Imagine how hard it would be to adequately assess whether a person could do some specific task (such as teach school, perform surgery, re-wire a house’s electrical system, or build a bridge) without actually observing them doing that task. We hire employees based on applications and resumes, we evaluate their performance in a job by checking their attendance record to insure they show up to work on time, and we monitor a delivery person’s driver’s license or a clinician’s clinical license to make sure they haven’t expired or been revoked. But no tool works as well to assess a person’s ability to do their job as well as actually watching them do their job. Competency assessments are an integral part of the evaluative process and some would say, THE most important part of that process. If you are hiring a marksman for their ability to hit a target, at some point, you’re going to go out into the field and say “Show me what you’ve got!”

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Topics: Employee Training, Renewing Accreditation, HQAA Accreditation, Avoiding Deficiencies, Delivery, Clinical Respiratory Services, Competence, DMEPOS

What is DMEPOS?

Posted by Steve DeGenaro on Mon, Jan 04, 2021 @ 01:25 PM

On one of the few flights I took the last quarter of 2020 (thanks, Covid!), a seatmate struck up a conversation with me. Yes, it’s still possible to do these simple and rather “human” things we took for granted before the pandemic—even while wearing facemasks. The conversation started with the usual “So, what do you do for a living?” question. A couple exchanges with my new friend later, I found myself drilling down into what DMEPOS is and some of the myriad types of equipment and supplies that fall into the Medicare definition.

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Topics: HQAA Accreditation, Equipment, DMEPOS

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