3 ways to partner with your DME to take pressure off your care team

As pressure mounts on your care team, it’s critical to find outside resources you can lean on. Discover how DMEs can alleviate pressure and boost quality care.

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Because of the multitude of care settings, stakeholders, and comorbidities, managing COPD care can feel as complicated as living with it. As care teams are facing increasing demand to raise their own effectiveness and preempt COPD readmissions, who can they turn to when the demand is too great?

One resource that often goes overlooked is durable medical equipment (DME) providers. Too often, DMEs are thought of as transactional vendors who simply provide equipment. However, they are capable of providing much more value to support care delivery in meaningful ways.

Read on to discover 3 ways you can partner with your DME to take mounting pressure off of your care team.

Contributors

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

COPD Case Manager

Department of Respiratory Care at UC Davis Medical Center

Partnership tip 1
Partnership tip 1

Partnership tip 1: Schedule in-home visits with DMEs

In today’s value-based healthcare economy, more and more care is being transitioned to the home. Not only does this provide cost efficiencies, but helps ensure continuous, quality care in the post-acute setting. The challenge is: managing all the complexities of homecare is a major logistical burden.1,2

DMEs can be excellent partners to facilitate this effort, ease the burden on other care team members, and provide value in a whole new way.

With their wealth of knowledge and expertise, in-home visits can help DMEs:

Observe a patient’s environment first-hand to help inform the right course of care

Build dependable relationships with patients to reinforce trust in the care team

Our insiders strongly recommend that you consider engaging DMEs to provide this service.

When you are choosing a DME company, make sure you go with one that will send a DME out to the home and provide the additional service that patients need.”

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

COPD Case Manager

Department of Respiratory Care at UC Davis Medical Center

Provide these helpful resources to DMEs to help enhance their patient communication and engagement

Practicing active listening and displaying empathy ›

Conducting motivational interviews ›
Partnership tip 2
Partnership tip 2

Partnership tip 2: Allow DMEs to provide and reinforce device education

DMEs are experts in medical devices and how they can help manage COPD. They know the ins-and-outs of each system, and how each can best be used to maximize success.

So, by ensuring patients have the appropriate device and training for their disease and lifestyle, DMEs can support better engagement and outcomes.

Rely on your DME to:

Deliver step-by-step instructions and coach patients on how to use their device

Reinforce the importance of adherence and provide invaluable tips, especially during in-home visits³

Make sure your DME is involved with the care team as soon as the COPD patient is set to be discharged home. Earlier inclusion helps empower them to provide the support and education that is needed. Also be sure your DME offers nursing and/or respiratory services in the home, for added value that makes a dramatic difference.⁴

If they are willing to help provide additional services and education for oxygen patients, they’ll want your business for other devices as well. It’s a win-win.”

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

COPD Case Manager

Department of Respiratory Care at UC Davis Medical Center
Partnership tip 3
Partnership tip 3

Partnership tip 3: Engage DMEs to follow up with the patient and care team

To reverse the trend of COPD readmissions, following up with patients to ensure they’re adhering to their treatment plan is becoming increasingly critical. Reasons not to are quickly being replaced by reasons to make it imperative. But as resources are constrained, the question is: how?⁵

This is where DMEs can step in. Now they can shoulder the responsibility of following up with patients at various touchpoints throughout treatment.

But follow-ups should not just be limited to patients. DMEs should close the gap on communication by following up with the care team as well. This will ensure quality care is ongoing throughout the entire continuum.⁶

Following up with both patients and care team members can help:

RTs and nurses provide more targeted interventions when visiting with patients⁵

Create valuable knowledge transfers to ensure patients are set up for sustainable success⁷

Reduce COPD readmissions by ensuring patients are healthy at home^6,8

Ask your DMEs to focus on these follow-up questions for vital information^6,9:

How is your device fitting into your lifestyle?

Are you using it as directed?

How much do you feel it’s helping?

Are any challenges getting in the way?

Have these challenges caused you to use your device less?

What more do you need to help you stick to your treatment plan?

Enhancing care through partnership

It takes every member of the care team to ensure quality care throughout the patient journey. But even a full care team can get stretched thin.

That’s why partnering with outside resources like DMEs can greatly decrease the pressure your team faces each day. Engaging them to help with key responsibilities can take your quality and efficiency of care from good to great.

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3 ways to partner with your DME to take pressure off your care team

Register now for instant access to more articles about improving adherence and reducing readmissions, and to get the COPD insider newsletter delivered to your inbox every month.

Register now for instant access to more articles about improving adherence and reducing readmissions, and to get the COPD insider newsletter delivered to your inbox every month.

Share this story

Share this story

Contributors

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

Partnership tip 1: Schedule in-home visits with DMEs

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

Partnership tip 2: Allow DMEs to provide and reinforce device education

Krystal Craddock, BSRC, RRT-NPS, AEC

Partnership tip 3: Engage DMEs to follow up with the patient and care team

Following up with both patients and care team members can help:

Ask your DMEs to focus on these follow-up questions for vital information6,9:

Enhancing care through partnership

Contact information

Contact details

Company details

Further reading

COPD insider

Ask your DMEs to focus on these follow-up questions for vital information^6,9: