From Hospital to Home: How Technology Can Improve Patient Transitions

Every year, more than 8 million patients in the United States are in urgent need of various durable medical devices (Dmes) after being discharged from hospital, such as oxygen generators, ventilators and walking AIDS. These devices not only provide convenience but may even be a guarantee of patients' lives. However, although discharge is supposed to be the beginning of recovery, the transition of patients from the hospital to home is often challenging and may threaten their health and safety.

The existing challenge: Complex and inefficient processes

At present, the discharge process involves a large number of cumbersome procedures, especially in the acquisition of DME equipment. Doctors need to fill out cumbersome paperwork to prove patients' medical needs and insurance coverage for DME devices. Meanwhile, the case manager needs to convey detailed information about the patient's condition, equipment requirements, and subsequent care to relevant support parties, such as equipment suppliers, home care institutions, primary care physicians, and the patient's family members. Unfortunately, this process is usually very complicated, involving multiple systems or paper documents, which is inefficient and prone to causing delays in discharge.

According to a 2022 survey in California, approximately 45% of hospital case managers indicated that they had difficulty obtaining the necessary medical equipment. To make up for the delay of equipment, nearly 68% of hospitals chose to postpone the discharge time, more than a quarter of hospitals provided the equipment at their own expense, and even one third of hospitals lent the equipment to patients until the official order was delivered.

In addition, patients and their families are also under great pressure. To obtain the required equipment, they may need to coordinate with multiple equipment suppliers, handle multiple prescriptions, delivery issues, insurance reimbursements, etc. The damage, obsolescence of the equipment and the lack of necessary usage training have also added more burdens to the family members after the patients return home.

Modern DME System: Seeking solutions from technology

In the face of these problems, the medical industry urgently needs to simplify the DME process through modern technology, improve efficiency and reduce the pressure on patients and their families. Imagine if there were a system that could minimize the complexity in DME management, enhance the collaboration efficiency among all parties, and enable patients and their families to easily obtain the necessary equipment while avoiding cumbersome procedures and unnecessary delays.

The following are three technological innovations that healthcare leaders should consider to improve the DME process and enhance the patient experience from hospital to home: 1. Automating repetitive tasks. Automation technology can significantly improve the efficiency of the DME process. For instance, by handling repetitive tasks such as documentation, claims settlement, and billing through intelligent systems, manual operations can be reduced, ensuring that patients can obtain the necessary equipment when needed. In addition, automation can also optimize the workload of doctors and case managers, allowing them to focus on patient care rather than the cumbersome administrative work. In the future, with the development of technology, administrative tasks related to patient reception, medical order entry, document processing, billing and payment are expected to be fully automated. 2. Predictive analysis optimizes logistics management. By integrating predictive analysis and machine learning, the medical industry can more accurately predict patients' DME needs. Based on big data and historical usage patterns, DME suppliers can better manage inventory, predict equipment demand in advance, and avoid equipment shortages or delays. Predictive analysis can also help DME suppliers tailor equipment orders for patients based on their health trends and treatment plans, ensuring that patients receive timely care support at home. 3. Enhance patient experience by leveraging self-service tools. With the popularization of the Internet, patients are increasingly accustomed to managing their health affairs through online platforms. Therefore, the medical industry should enhance the convenience of DME services through self-service tools. Patients can use the digital platform to check the status of orders, equipment replenishment, insurance reimbursement and other information in real time, and even consult online when they have problems. Such online services can help patients reduce the trouble of phone communication or visiting medical institutions in person, allowing them to manage equipment usage and health needs more easily.

Better care starts with technology

The modern DME system is not merely for enhancing efficiency; it is more about the safety and care of patients. By adopting new technologies and digital strategies, the medical industry can better support medical service providers, patients and their families, helping patients smoothly transition from hospitals to homes and focus on rehabilitation rather than worrying about obtaining medical equipment. Only through such innovation can the best health outcomes be achieved for patients' home-based rehabilitation, and the overall service quality of the entire medical industry can be comprehensively enhanced.