The Delivery Cost Survey launched at the 2018 VGM Heartland Conference in an effort to determine regional costs of delivering equipment to patients in the home. In this study, approximately 200 suppliers submitted responses about the real cost of doing business and expenses incurred when making one trip to deliver equipment to a patient.
Click the links below to see the results in each region:
These infographics put into perspective how costly an average delivery is for DME suppliers to provide patients with the necessary equipment. This information includes wages, travel distances, setup time, and the total cost for each visit. With the DME industry being a high-touch health care service, understanding the costs involved in caring for beneficiaries must be taken into account when determining reimbursement rates.
Leitten Cost Shift Study
The Leitten Medicare Cost Shift study is a newly released study that shows the cost shifts to Medicare Part A in the absence of proper DME. This three-part study displays data of shifting costs for three areas where DME products are commonly used: fall injuries, COPD exacerbations, and untreated obstructive sleep apnea.
In each of these studies and monographs, Leitten determined the cost to treat each injury and how each dramatically exceeds the cost of the DME that could have helped avoid the problem. A goal in this study is to show that Medicare can allocate costs more appropriately while also providing better care to patients.
To read the complete study, click here