HME News in 10

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

Brad Smith on a choppy 2022

Today’s guest is Brad Smith, a managing partner at Vertess. Smith joins HME News in 10 to talk about why deal activity was slower than he anticipated in Q1 – his firm closed three deals – but will heat up, particularly in Q2 and Q4. He also talks about the role of the $2 trillion worth of liquidity in the financial market right now and valuations that are “creeping down but still robust.”

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Brad Smith

Boone Lockard on positive trends

Today’s guest is Boone Lockard, the new director of VGM Respiratory, who has spent 12 years working on both the provider and manufacturer aisles of the industry. Lockard joins HME News in 10 to talk about why there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the CPAP market, how the new NCD for oxygen will be a “big win” and why there’s promise in resurging value-based care models.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Boone Lockard

Laura Williard on seeing Medicare Advantage as an opportunity

Today’s guest is Laura Williard, vice president of payer relations for AAHomecare. Williard joins HME News in 10 to talk about how the growing Medicare Advantage market creates opportunities for HME providers. With more insurers entering the market – many of them smaller and more willing to think outside the box – providers have a better chance of getting in-network, developing close relationships, and shaping everything from policies to reimbursement levels.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Laura Williard

Dexter Braff on ‘end of an era’

Today’s guest is Dexter Braff, president of The Braff Group, a health care M&A advisory firm. Braff joins HME News in 10 to talk about Owens & Minor’s planned acquisition of Apria and how the deal represents the “end of an era” for M&A in the HME industry. Listen to find out why the deal’s estimated $1.45 billion value is not what it seems and how it’s another sign of the seismic shift toward more care in the home.

Hosts:
Liz Beaulieu
Theresa Flaherty

Guest:
Dexter Braff

Andrea Stark on the oxygen NCD’s ripple effects

Today’s guest is Andrea Stark, the founder and head of reimbursement at MiraVista LLC. Andrea joins HME News in 10 to talk about the biggest development in the HME industry in 2021: a new national coverage determination for home oxygen therapy that expands coverage to acute conditions and cluster headaches, and eliminates the CMN requirement. “We haven’t experienced a coverage expansion like this in recent history,” she says. Listen to find out how the new NCD has ripple effects on a provider’s operational and compliance procedures and why it should give providers “a lot more confidence” when it comes to audits.

Host:
Liz Beaulieu

Guest:
Andrea Stark