Artificial intelligence has made an impact in DME workflows - and its influence is only expected to increase.
According to recent projections, AI is about to handle the majority of DME order processing within just a couple of years.
Tennr, a healthcare automation company, recently forecast that 60% of all DME orders will be processed using AI by 2026. That number may sound bold, but DMEs in the trenches of intake and billing can appreciate the increase.
Because the challenge facing DMEs isn’t a lack of orders - the challenge lies in disorganized and manual, time-consuming workflows created on arrival.
Taming the Chaos of DME Intake
Every DME knows the feeling… a referral comes in, but not all at once. The story is familiar: a fax here, a form there, and maybe a face-to-face note days later. By the time the order is complete, three people have touched it and the signature is still missing.
Unfortunately, a fragmented trail of documents, approvals, and eligibility checks can stagnate DME operations, slow intake, and delay delivery. Disorganized intake can also lead to avoidable denials.
AI addresses these issues by stitching the pieces together automatically - not by replacing human staff.
The most advanced platforms now use AI to read incoming documents (including faxes), extract critical data, verify insurance and benefits, and route clean orders for fast review and approval. This eliminates countless hours of manual sorting, cross-checking, and portal-hopping.
Why Fax Still Matters
Everyone loves to talk about e-prescribing, and yes, it could be the future.
But today, most referral sources are still sending e-faxes from their EMRs. That’s not going to change overnight.
Instead of fighting it, leading automation platforms are reading those faxes automatically and converting them into structured data.
That’s a game-changer.
The real problem isn’t the fax itself - it’s that an individual receiving the fax has to open, read, and retype it. With AI in the mix, faxes become fast again! They show up clean, validated, and ready to go. That’s the kind of operational win DME teams need.
AI for DMEs: The Automation Race Is On
Whether on Tennr or another platform, the DME industry is clearly entering an automation race.
The providers who win will be the ones figuring out how to scale, saving labor costs, and competing effectively.
This isn’t optional tech. It’s will be an essential survival tool for DMEs in upcoming years.
And while 60% of orders may be automated by 2026, the leading DME businesses will not wait that long. DMEs looking to get ahead are approaching intake, verification, and documentation as workflows to automate.
The future of DME AI automation is here. Are you prepared?
