The DME market is competitive, highly regulated, and - of course - ripe for opportunity.
Taking advantage of this involves optimizing. How?
Well, consider one of the primary ways DME experience severely limited growth: manual processes.
“What do you mean? We’ve been using manual processes for years, decades even.”
Sometimes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We respect that. But many DMEs we interact with DO indeed have broken workflows that are not designed to handle the demands of our current climate and, ultimately, aren’t ready for sustainable growth. Thus, we should fix it.
Dig in below to uncover the top 3 most damaging manual processes that we’ve noticed as DME automation experts.
Manual Process #1: Paper-Based Order Management
Paper, paper, paper. In our digital era, we sometimes cling to the feel of real paper, a real pen scratching away. However, for DMEs, paper-based order management is problematic.
How?
Well, to put it bluntly: orders entered manually from fax, email, or phone calls often lead to errors, lost paperwork, and fulfillment delays.
Beyond this, your staff members often spend excessive time verifying data and re-entering information. (Most DMEs we interact with simply do not have the bandwidth to hire more team members for manual rework. Do you?)
At the end of the day, paper-based order management tends to lead to slower turnaround times, poor patient experience, and increased claim denials.
Automated intake can help.
Manual Process #2: Manual Billing & Claims Submission
Let’s paint the all-too-familiar picture. Your staff members manually compile billing data, check HCPCS codes, and submit claims individually. Sometimes, this works. Most of the time, human error leads to delays and rejected claims.
It almost doesn’t seem fair to explain the outcome of this: slower cash flow and increased administrative overhead. Unfortunate outcomes that most DMEs do not have the resources to swallow.
DMEs fighting this manual battle should consider automating billing processes.
Manual Process #3: Inventory Tracking & Documentation
Finally, relying on spreadsheets or manual counts for inventory and documentation can lead to a number of issues, including 1) missing serialized tracking and 2) difficulty maintaining compliance for audits.
Once again, the ripple effects of this are problematic. To name only a few: overstocking, stockouts, and compliance risks.
Once again again, automation can help. Order and billing systems with automated real-time inventory management are revolutionary.
Where Can DMEs Start?
The problems are clear. Where can DMEs who are fed up with manual issues seek help? For one, start by talking to an automation expert. In fact, if you’re ready for a conversation, get in touch with us today! There is no time like the present to see what workflow optimization might look like for YOUR DME.
Or, if you’re interested in further exploration, check out our service pages or additional blogs.
Thanks for reading!
