HME News in 10

Justin Mortara on 'making health care better'

Today’s guest is Justin Mortara, president and CEO of EnsoData. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about how the company’s new strategic partnership with React Health allows its AI technology to cross over from the sleep testing to the sleep therapy space, maximining its ability to “make health care better.” Mortara also discusses the importance of predicting, versus reacting to, a person’s difficulty with CPAP therapy. “I used to say everyone has a heart and we’re doing good in cardiology,” says Mortara, who trained as a physicist and ran a cardiology business in the med-tech space for 20 years. “And now I say, ‘Everyone needs to sleep and we’re doing good at EnsoData.’”  

Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 

Guest: 
Justin Mortara

Gary Sheehan on connecting the continuum

Since leaving AdaptHealth, Gary Sheehan has “leaned into” a few different things, including joining Darby as a growth advisor and launching Scorton Creek Capital. His goal: Helping the HME industry, which he was born into, leverage technology to deliver more care in the home. Sheehan joins HME News in 10 to talk about where he sees opportunity for the industry to be more broadly connected to the care continuum and why he’s “not going anywhere.”

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest: 
Gary Sheehan

Dexter Braff on current trends in M&A

Dexter Braff, founder & president of The Braff Group, returns to HME News in 10 to talk about current trends in M&A. Hear what Braff has to say about why it’s more expensive to complete an acquisition these days, what buyers and sellers are doing to get deals across the finish line and why M&A remains an important piece of the growth strategy for companies

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest: 
Dexter Braff

Kami Harold on ‘rescuing’ CPAP patients

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by SleepRes.

Today’s guest is Kami Harold, vice president of sales for SleepRes, which makes the V-Com, a small device that softens peak respiratory flow for patients using CPAP therapy. She joins HME News in 10 to talk about how the company’s founder, Dr. William H. Noah, took a deep dive into engineering and physics to develop the V-Com and how HME providers are using the device to improve adherence and even “rescue” some patients who are on the brink of having to stop therapy due to non-adherence. “Adherence is such a challenge,” Harold says. “Everybody struggles with it – HME companies and sleep physicians and clinicians. It’s important to think outside the box. There has to be a different way.”

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest: 
Kami Harold

Jason Kelln on ’new territory’ in complex rehab

Jason Kelln, an ATP and CRTS who is the sales manager at PrairieHeart Mobility in Saskatchewan, joins HME News in 10 to talk about being named the first president-elect of NRRTS from Canada. He shares why the organization wants a “bigger stage” beyond North America and how, regardless of geography, the common goal should be having certified professionals, quality products and fair reimbursement. He also talks about why the complex rehab industry needs to embrace both “an aging out” workforce and a younger workforce. 
 
Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 
 
Guest: 
Jason Kelln 

Sponsored by:

Andrea Stark on the Medicare Advantage machine

Andrea Stark, a Medicare consultant and reimbursement specialist for MiraVista, returns to HME News in 10 to talk about all things Medicare Advantage. We take a deep dive into increasing enrollment; increasing single-source contracts, including Humana’s with AdaptHealth and Rotech; and increasing scrutiny by the government. Stark says the system is not broken, but HME providers – “an extremely valuable partner” – need to make sure these plans are playing by the rules and paying them enough. 

Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 

Guest: 
Andrea Stark

David Schaer on ‘real’ artificial intelligence

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by Computers Unlimited.

Today’s guest is David Schaer, president of Computers Unlimited. Schaer joins HME News in 10 to talk about how artificial intelligence is redefining what business management solutions can do – whether it’s extracting data from medical documentation or predicting health services based on prior history. “It’s not a fad; it’s real and it’s going to impact every single business,” he said. Schaer also talks about the importance of “web hooks” to integrate e-prescribing and other applications. 

Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 

Guest: 
David Schaer

Todd Usher on staffing realities

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by Tactical Back Office.

Today’s guest is Todd Usher, founder of Tactical Back Office. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about how he launched the remote staffing company in 2019, after successfully leveraging employees based in the Philippines to reduce shortages and decrease costs at his own HME company. He also talks about the benefits of incorporating remote staff into your company culture and addresses the question he gets asked most about TBO. 

Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 

Guest: 
Todd Usher

Blair Eichenberger on the Cs of workers’ comp

Welcome to a special episode of HME News in 10 sponsored and developed by VGM Insurance Services.

Today’s guest is Blair Eichenberger, vice president of marketing for VGM Insurance Services. She joins HME News in 10 to talk about the Cs of workers’ compensation: cost, claims process, coverage network and compliance. She also talks about how a holistic approach to workers’ comp is about more than a policy and why it’s beneficial to work with an insurer that specializes in coverage for HME companies. For more information, go to https://www.vgminsurance.com/workers-compensation.

Hosts: 
Liz Beaulieu 
Theresa Flaherty 

Guest: 
Blair Eichenberger

Allen Hunt on having the right discussions

Today's guest is Allen Hunt, president of Hart Medical Equipment, a health system-owned HME provider in Southfield, Mich. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about why conversations with referral sources shouldn't be about saving on the cost of a walker but about speeding up access to care - the true source of cost savings. He also talks about the HME provider’s role as an extension of the health system.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Allen Hunt