As founder and President of VistaCare Health Services, I have come to realize the importance of participating in and contributing to the community that supports our business. The Vistacare Team and myself have gained knowldege and experience while navigating the challenges of meeting your healthcare needs. So, from time to time, I feel the need to offer my thoughts and perspectives on coping with the ever growing tangle of government and insurance requirements that we all must cope with as well general tips on ways to improve the quality of healthcare for your loved ones.
Check in frequently for my latest posts.....and please, give me your feedback!
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The President's Corner -
Quality
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Written by Tom Webb
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Friday, 16 July 2010 21:07 |
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Take Care, Keep in Touch
“Take care, keep in touch.” You often hear this from relatives and friends. It couldn’t be truer for your medical product and equipment supplier. The only difference for your supplier is that, they really mean it! Medicare and most insurance companies want you, the client and beneficiary, to maintain contact with your supplier. Why? As your supplies run low, contact your supplier. Let your supplier know if you have moved, changed contact numbers, changed doctors, have new prescriptions or if you have an excess of items from the previous shipment. Frequent contact with your supplier makes everything more efficient and can help reduce costs for you, your insurance and your supplier.
Tom Webb |
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Home Supply, The Bigger Picture |
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The President's Corner -
The Bigger Picture
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Written by Tom Webb
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Monday, 24 May 2010 22:03 |
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May 24, 2010
A letter to the Editor of the Commercial Appeal dated May 23, 2010 said the writer had received a bill in error which showed charges of $252 for an item which is readily available for $40. The bill should have gone to the insurance company.
Conversely, VistaCare just told a potential customer we could not provide the requested ostomy products because the acquisition costs were more than the insurance company’s reimbursement not including the additional and non-reimbursable cost for delivery.
The writer of the letter had a good point but the writer probably also failed to take into consideration costs of doing business like the delivery charges, business license, insurances, various taxes, state license, payroll, benefits and training, accreditation expense, accounts receivables days outstanding, bad debt and some margin to pay salaries and to keep the lights on. Further, when home delivery is involved and in particular for items involving oxygen, a different set of stringent parameters are to be considered such as in-home assessments, client education and 24/7 call.
Medical equipment companies like VistaCare are at a cross roads. Can you buy products and then bill according to set fee schedules and survive. Fee schedules continue to decrease. Costs continue to rise.
Many items allow a margin, many more do not. What sense does it make to take the Medicare (CMS) fee schedule and simply reduce every item by 50% or more? Is making a fee schedule so ‘aggressive’ a de-facto way of not making supplies available?
The difficult message to communicate to consumers is that home medical equipment companies that participate in health plans are not streamlined, on-line warehouses or big box stores. Most of us are accredited and are small businesses of less than 10 employees functioning under regulations established long ago.
Was $252 too much for the one item, possibly? When viewed in the bigger picture, home delivered equipment and supply items are cost effective. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 16 July 2010 21:08 |
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Home Supply, the Bigger Picture |
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The President's Corner -
Quality
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Written by Tom Webb
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Monday, 24 May 2010 20:23 |
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May 24, 2010
A letter to the Editor of the Commercial Appeal dated May 23, 2010 said the writer had received a bill in error which showed charges of $252 for an item which is readily available for $40. The bill should have gone to the insurance company.
Conversely, VistaCare just told a potential customer we could not provide the requested ostomy products because the acquisition costs were more than the insurance company’s reimbursement not including the additional and non-reimbursable cost for delivery.
The writer of the letter had a good point but the writer probably also failed to take into consideration costs of doing business like the delivery charges, business license, insurances, various taxes, state license, payroll, benefits and training, accreditation expense, accounts receivables days outstanding, bad debt and some margin to pay salaries and to keep the lights on. Further, when home delivery is involved and in particular for items involving oxygen, a different set of stringent parameters are to be considered such as in-home assessments, client education and 24/7 call.
Medical equipment companies like VistaCare are at a cross roads. Can you buy products and then bill according to set fee schedules and survive. Fee schedules continue to decrease. Costs continue to rise.
Many items allow a margin, many more do not. What sense does it make to take the Medicare (CMS) fee schedule and simply reduce every item by 50% or more? Is making a fee schedule so ‘aggressive’ a de-facto way of not making supplies available?
The difficult message to communicate to consumers is that home medical equipment companies that participate in health plans are not streamlined, on-line warehouses or big box stores. Most of us are accredited and are small businesses of less than 10 employees functioning under regulations established long ago.
Was $252 too much for the one item, possibly? When viewed in the bigger picture, home delivered equipment and supply items are cost effective. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 24 May 2010 22:06 |
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The President's Corner -
Quality
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Written by Tom Webb
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Friday, 29 January 2010 01:51 |
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Policy makers, consumers and think tanks are stirring a big icky pot of healthcare stew
comprised of doctors, hospitals,insurance companies, consumers, out patient clinics, medical equipment suppliers and more. Following the analogy, we want this healthcare stew to be inexpensive, taste really good, be ready to serve to everyone and be garnished with a good measure of quality ... now.
Medical equipment companies initiated the move toward quality in cooperation with Medicare. By September 30, 2009 for medical equipment companies to bill Medicare, they must be accredited by a Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services approved agency. Due to the high standards required for accreditation this is very good news for the consumer. Select an accredited medical equipment company and be assured of the quality you deserve.
Tom Webb
VistaCare Health Services, Inc. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 April 2010 14:53 |
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