HME News in 10

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

Ryan Colby on tech-first approach

Today’s guest is Ryan Colby, who spent seven years at Uber and who is now head of go-to-market for Tomorrow Health. He joins HME News in 10 to talk about how companies with marketplaces like Uber and Tomorrow Health “succeed or fail based on how well they serve the supply side” – a big reason why he’s spending a lot of his time meeting with and getting feedback from HME providers. Colby also talks about how to take a process from “scrappy” to fully automated; why outliers are so important; and how technology doesn’t just play a role in the company’s business model, “it’s the whole business model.”

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Ryan Colby

Tom Ryan and Jay Witter on the year ahead

Today’s guests are familiar names in the industry: Tom Ryan and Jay Witter of AAHomecare. They join HME News in 10 to talk about the industry’s recent wins in Congress and AAHomecare’s plan to build on those wins in the year ahead. A big part of that plan? Cultivating relationships on the Hill, from congressional staffers to party leaders.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guests:
Tom Ryan
Jay Witter

Alex Hoopes on hospital-at-home

Today’s guest is Alex Hoopes, director of Healthcare Innovation for Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions. Hoopes joins HME News in 10 to talk about the “signals” pointing to hospital-at-home as the next frontier in health care and Cardinal Health’s efforts to build the middle- and last-mile infrastructure needed to make it an increasing reality. He also talks about how the transition will take “an army of partners,” including HME providers.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Alex Hoopes

Bonnie Jablonowski on connected patient engagement technology

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

Our guest is Bonnie Jablonowski, director of product and portfolio management for McKesson. She talks about the benefits of leveraging connected patient engagement technology to free up staff from having to manually call patients for resupplies, key in orders, confirm insurance and more. For more information, go to mms.mckesson.com.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Bonnie Jablonowski

Annie Erstling on bridging the technology gap

Today’s guest is Annie Erstling, chief strategy officer at Forcura, a health care workflow management company. Erstling joins HME News in 10 to talk about using technology to bridge the communication gap between payers and providers, and not waiting until your story is perfect to start building those relationships.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Annie Erstling

John Gallagher on the road

Today’s guest is John Gallagher, vice president of government relations for VGM. Gallagher, who’s racked up several million travel miles in his 20 years on the job, joins HME News in 10 to talk about what it’s really like to be an “HME Road Warrior.” Find out why “all politics are local,” the benefits of not traveling light, and why it’s important to have a dog.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
John Gallagher

Tyler Riddle on moving the needle

Today’s guest is Tyler Riddle, CEO of MRS Homecare, a Georgia-based full-line home medical equipment provider. Riddle joins HME News in 10 to talk about why the needle is finally moving in Washington, D.C., on the importance and benefits of HME, and how the 22-year-old staffers working in congressional offices “rule this country.” Come for the lobbying advice; stay for the Dax Shepard and Coen brothers references.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Tyler Riddle

Dr. Jennifer Martin on putting patients first

Today’s guest is Dr. Jennifer Martin, who was recently named president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s board of directors. Dr. Martin joins HME News in 10 to discuss why good sleep is the “secret sauce” to good health and how recent challenges in the CPAP market should have everyone taking a step back to ask, “What’s best for the patient?”

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Dr. Jennifer Martin