The DME Industry: Trends, Challenges, Technology, and the Future of Durable Medical Equipment

DME Inventory Management Is Becoming More Sophisticated

Inventory management is one area where technology can deliver substantial operational benefits.

DME companies may handle equipment identified by serial numbers, lot numbers, rental periods, warranties, and maintenance records. Tracking these details manually can create unnecessary administrative work.

Modern systems can provide visibility into equipment throughout its lifecycle.

A typical equipment lifecycle might look like this:

Purchase → Warehouse → Reserved → Delivered → Patient Use → Service → Return → Inspection → Available for Reuse

Software can maintain a record of each stage.

This is especially important for equipment that can be returned, refurbished, serviced, and delivered to another patient.

Improving the DME Patient Experience

The patient experience is becoming increasingly important in home healthcare.

Patients generally do not want to spend hours calling a provider to ask whether equipment has shipped or when a delivery will arrive.

Automated text messages, email notifications, patient portals, and other digital communication tools can make these interactions easier.