.webp)
Durable Medical Equipment (DME) providers are the infrastructure behind millions of care plans.
They support aging in place.
They enable hospital discharge.
They reduce readmissions, help prevent complications, and keep patients out of high-cost settings.
Yet despite all of that, DMEs remain one of the most undervalued parts of the healthcare system.
The industry deserves more.
DME Carries Care Forward
The DME industry touches almost every part of the care journey.
Whether it’s CPAP therapy, oxygen, mobility aids, diabetic supplies, wound care, or breast pumps, DME allows care to continue after discharge.
It keeps patients safe at home.
It supports remote monitoring, post-acute care, and population health initiatives.
The evidence backs this up. A 2025 study published in Clinical Diabetes found that Medicare Advantage patients using CGM supplies through DME channels had 78% adherence at 12 months, compared to 64% through pharmacies.
That improved adherence resulted in better glycemic control and fewer complications.
Total annual costs dropped by 25%, with $3,875 saved per patient.
This is care that works.
And it happens because DME providers support the clinical process long after the script is written.
Workflow Holding Everything Together
The logistics get ignored, but they make everything else possible
In most healthcare organizations, attention stays focused on diagnosis, treatment, and reimbursement.
Referral processing, documentation, eligibility checks, and delivery coordination are often considered administrative noise.
But that “noise” determines whether a claim is approved, whether equipment gets to the patient, and whether revenue shows up in 30 days or 90.
If intake is slow, delivery lags. If documentation is incomplete, billing fails. If verification is skipped, patients go without equipment.
They make the rest of the system function, doing much more than just shipping products.
Patients understand this, even if the industry doesn't always acknowledge it.
In a large-scale satisfaction survey of Medicare beneficiaries, DME providers received higher ratings than managed care plans.
Fast delivery and clear communication made the biggest impact.
High Complexity, Low Visibility
The more complex the service, the less recognition it receives
DME reimbursement has been reduced over time through rate freezes, sequestration, and competitive bidding.
But beyond the payment schedule, the operational complexity has only increased.
Providers are expected to deliver accurate documentation, usage tracking, and regulatory compliance across dozens of payers.
At the same time, staffing and time budgets shrink.
Ironically, when a DME team handles everything correctly, the work disappears from view. There’s no alert when a claim sails through on the first pass.
But there’s plenty of attention when something is denied, delayed, or escalated.
And it leads to burnout.
DME Already Delivers on Value-Based Care
DME lowers total cost of care, but that value is invisible.
The healthcare industry is pushing toward value-based care, care at home, and care coordination.
DME already delivers all three.
In a 2004 study of Medicare managed care patients, home health services supported by DME reduced hospital stays and overall costs.
Patients maintained independence, avoided skilled nursing admissions, and preferred home-based models when given the choice.
The same holds true in rehabilitation.
Guidelines from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found that DME improves independence, mobility, safety, and social engagement.
It reduces caregiver burden.
It helps patients re-enter the workforce, participate in their communities, and manage chronic conditions.
Treat DME Like the Core Service It Is
DME providers don’t need more talk, they need better infrastructure
Recognition alone doesn’t help DME operations thrive and scale.
What matters is practical, systemic support.
That includes payer policies that account for operational realities.
It includes aligned documentation rules.
It includes a regulatory environment that allows DMEs to flourish in every area of the country.
Because DMEs are essential to healthcare.
The 2023 Camden Coalition study, published in Health Affairs, showed that timely DME access led to better care transitions and fewer readmissions for high-need patients.
When DME was integrated into discharge planning, outcomes improved and total cost of care dropped.
These programs worked because they treated DME as a core service and not an afterthought.
The Bottom Line: DMEs Are Essential
If you run a DME business, you’ve felt the pressure.
Referrals come in missing half the data. Authorizations stall. Face-to-face notes show up too late. Your team spends the day catching problems that shouldn’t exist.
And still, you deliver.
You get clean claims out the door.
You help patients get the equipment they need.
You make it work.
The research is clear. From glucose monitors to hospital beds, from wound care to respiratory therapy, DME improves lives.
It reduces costs.
It keeps care moving.
DMEs are undervalued. But the work they do is too important to ignore.
It’s time for healthcare to treat DME as the essential partner it already is.
