DME: Not Just for Surgical Supply Stores Anymore—But Don’t Be Sold a Bill of Goods

Chances are you have some crutches, as well as a few cold packs and various slings and splints, in your urgent care center. Patients come in, get an x-ray and a solid, timely diagnosis, and you send them on their way with what they need to stay safe until they follow up with an orthopedist or their primary care provider. What if you offered more than the necessities, however, to an extent that durable medical equipment (DME) could be viewed as an ancillary service? The key is to recognize what level and what type of inventory to carry, according to a recent post by JUCM’s associate editor for practice management. In Durable Medical Equipment in Urgent Care: The Good, Bad and Ugly, Alan Ayers makes the case that stocking a limited assortment of DME in urgent care can not only help build revenue, but even improve  clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. The “bad and ugly” referred to sales pitches from slick DME vendors who may literally sell you a bill of goods with no concerns of whether you get what you need—no more and no less. The key is to recognize whether the sales literature you’re shown reflects the occurrence and type of injuries you see in your practice. The reps know the products, but you know your practice. As Mr. Ayers, who in his “day job” is the CEO of Velocity Urgent Care, notes, “regardless of how elegant or extensive the DME vendor’s catalog, no sales pitch will replace the years of training and on-the-job expertise gained by the urgent care provider in quickly and cost effectively caring for patients readily available supplies.” Listen to your instincts, and read the article.