Many in the home medical equipment industry equate policy manuals to their accreditation inspections. And of course, these bulky tomes are certainly a large part of the accreditation and survey experience for every DME. Policy manuals serve as the road map for how work gets done within an organization, a set of rules for the organization, and the document that defines the structure, function, and philosophy of the organization. Let’s look at what a policy manual should contain and how it impacts not only accreditation, but also the overall day-to-day operation of an organization.
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Topics:
Employee Training,
HIPAA,
Security,
Personnel Files,
Quality Improvement,
Billing,
Renewing Accreditation,
Quality Standards,
HQAA Accreditation,
HME Accreditation Requirements,
Patient File Requirements,
Compliance,
Patient Privacy,
Clinical Practice Guidelines,
Materials Management,
Avoiding Deficiencies,
CMS,
Complaint Process,
Quality Care,
Showroom,
Retail,
Delivery,
Clinical Respiratory Services,
Oxygen,
Warehouse,
Safety Officer,
Competence,
Customer Service,
Disaster Preparedness,
Emergencies,
Business Practices,
Marketing
In July 2018, CMS made a rather important announcement: that effective January 1, 2019, after the current bid schedule expires December 31st, 2018, any Medicare provider can supply durable medical equipment and supplies to Medicare patients/recipients. This will likely continue until the next round of bidding takes place, which will be at least a calendar year later. This rule revision, known in the industry as the “Any Willing Provider” provision, is something the industry has talked about since competitive bidding began. “Wouldn’t it be fair,” one provider I spoke with posited, “if they {CMS} settled on a bid amount and opened it up to any credentialed, accredited, licensed DME to provide equipment and services?”
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Topics:
CMS,
Retail,
Marketing
“Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right” --Oprah Winfrey
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Topics:
Quality,
Employee Training,
HIPAA,
Personnel Files,
Quality Improvement,
Billing,
Quality Standards,
Patient File Requirements,
Compliance,
Patient Privacy,
Process Improvement,
Materials Management,
Avoiding Deficiencies,
Showroom,
Retail,
Delivery,
Warehouse,
Safety Officer
Home medical equipment companies frequently mention that it seems that the majority of survey (inspection) activity takes place in equipment storage, cleaning, and warehouse areas, as well as out in the field during “ride-alongs” to observe patient interactions with staff.HME staff is sometimes caught by surprise when the surveyor turns their attention to the retail showroom during the inspection. Why would a surveyor want to look at a retail showroom and what accreditation standards apply in that setting?
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Topics:
HME Accreditation Requirements,
Compliance,
Avoiding Deficiencies,
Showroom,
Retail
Almost everywhere we look today, we see superheroes. With Halloween nipping at our heels, the stores are advertising how we can dress up like the Hulk, or Catwoman, or Captain America. Heroes seems to have a pretty high profile right now in movies, books, video games and marketers tell us all the time that we can be just like them.
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Topics:
Security,
Materials Management,
Retail,
Warehouse,
Safety Officer
