 Supporting Providers of Home Medical Equipment and Services in the Home with Leadership, Knowledge, and Advocacy |
HOMES 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibits
May 6 & 7, 2025
Courtyard Boston Marlborough, 75 Felton St, Marlborough, MA 01752
AgendaSessions and descriptions. |
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Tuesday, May 6, 2025
9:00 - 10:00a |
Change to Thrive: HME Paradigm Shift
Steve Cela, Strategic Office Support |
Opportunity is knocking. With the baby boomer generation retiring, the hospital-at-home movement, and the consolidation of the HME industry, HME providers are poised to capture triple-digit growth in the coming years. To capture this growth, providers must be prepared. Attend this session to learn the top three things you can do to capture the market growth. The discussion will dive into profitability, process optimization, and include case study learnings from the hundreds of teams SOS has implemented into HME companies. This presentation is aimed towards owners, management, and individual contributors alike—it takes alignment through your entire company to capture the opportunity in the market. You will walk away with actionable take-aways and learn exactly where to start so you are prepared for growth! |
10:15 - 11:15a | Marketing: Writing a Creative Brief to Kick-Start a Campaign (Part 1) Mandi Rodgers, VGM & Associates In this first breakout session, we will walk through all of the components of a creative brief. We will also work on a creative brief of your own that you will be able to use to launch a new campaign. Please come prepared with an idea of a product, program, or campaign you'd like to work on. |
10:15 - 11:15a | The Importance of Long-Term Adherence in Modern Resupply Kyle Neese, ACU-Serve Sustained patient engagement is paramount to resupply success. This session will cover strategies to enhance communication, streamline the patient journey, and optimize technology investments for long-term retention. We’ll discuss the shift from insurance compliance requirements to long-term adherence and how to meet patients where they are to improve outcomes and efficiency. |
11:30a - 12:30p | State Chair Advocacy Updates and Best Practices when Connecting with Legislators HOMES State Chairs; Billy Fredericks, Allcare Medical Supply Hear from HOMES and State Chairs about our advocacy efforts across all six New England states - recent wins, 2025 goals, and how your involvement can make a real impact. Then, Billy Fredericks takes the mic to share practical strategies for connecting with legislators. Whether you're meeting with a legislator for the first time or following up on a policy issue, how you engage matters. This session will walk you through proven best practices for building meaningful, effective relationships with state and federal lawmakers. Learn how to tailor your message, make your meetings memorable, and avoid common missteps that can stall your advocacy efforts. From crafting your story to understanding a legislator’s priorities, this session will help you feel confident, prepared, and impactful every time you speak on behalf of the HME community. |
1:30 - 2:30p | Marketing: Building Out Your Campaign (Part 2) Mandi Rodgers, VGM & Associates In part two of the creative brief sessions, we will start building out the components you outlined in your creative brief. We will look at free tools you can use to build and implement your campaign. The goal of these two sessions is for you to walk away with most, if not all components of your campaign built and ready to launch. |
1:30 - 2:30p | RCM Best Practices - Keeping AR Current Without Losing Sight of Aging Julie Dube, Brightree Identifying and monitoring key performance indicators along with the tools for process improvement. |
2:45 - 3:45p | AAHomecare Payer Relations Update Laura Williard, AAHomecare (Description TBD) |
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
9:00 - 10:00a | How to Turn Typical Billing Losses Into New Revenue Andrea Stark, MiraVista Every DME supplier knows the pain of writing off claims, and most are frustrated by the frequent fliers … the reasons they see over and over again. Regardless of the cause – internal billing errors or unwieldy payer obstacles – these revenue losses hurt. By reevaluating common write-off explanations, Andrea Stark (MiraVista, LLC) turns the tables, showing DME suppliers how to go beyond saving lost collections with strategies to actually generate incremental income. In this session, attendees learn to:
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10:15 - 11:15a | The FINE Line Between the ATP Assessment & the Specialty LCMP Evaluation Dan Fedor, VGM & Associates Medicare and other insurances that follow Medicare require a specialty wheelchair evaluation to be performed by an LCMP (usually a PT or OT) and an ATP assessment for complex rehab wheelchairs (K0835-K0864, K0005, and E1161). The LCMP may not have a financial relationship with the wheelchair supplier and the wheelchair supplier must employee the ATP. So, where is the line of what each is expected and compliant to document including with telehealth? The Medicare Contractors as well as APTA and AOTA have weighed in and put the line in the sand. In this session, we will discuss The FINE Line and outline the ethical and legal implications if it is crossed. |
10:15 - 11:15a | Mastering Benchmarking Within Your Own Walls Kim Cuce', VGM & Associates When striving for excellence, focus on internal metrics and standards. Measure performance against your company’s historical data and achievements. While industry benchmarks matter, continuous improvement comes from exceeding your own past performance. Implement a strategy to identify cost reduction opportunities, explore untapped revenue streams, and achieve operational excellence by addressing root causes. |
1:30 - 2:30p |
AI Voice Agents: Transforming DME Communications
Scott Holzberg, Synthpop It's no secret that healthcare communication challenges create inefficiencies for DME businesses, leading to administrative burdens, delayed patient care, and lost revenue. In this session, we’ll explore the impact of these challenges and the urgent need for innovative solutions. Discover how Conversational AI is revolutionizing healthcare operations by automating repetitive tasks, streamlining provider and payor interactions, and improving patient engagement. We'll discuss actionable strategies to optimize operations and maximize revenue potential. |
1:30 - 2:30p | Outsourcing: Optimizing Operating Efficiency, Customer Experience and Profitability Bruce Gehring, Allegiance Group and Panel: Kyle Neese, ACU-Serve; Kim Cuce', VGM & Associates In this interactive session, we'll be addressing key operational areas that benefit from outsourcing. This session will highlight Front and Back Office support, covering claims processing to patient billing and follow-up. We will discuss the key metrics for measuring operational effectiveness and the impact on profitability. We will discuss common pitfalls and key performance benchmarks to review and track to assure optimal effectiveness. We will review the processes and procedures that ensure accountability and drive customer satisfaction and financial performance. |
2:45 - 3:45p | TiC Talk: Making Transparency in Coverage Work for HME Providers Laura Williard, AAHomecare; Jason Morin, Analytix Solutions A practical look at CMS’s price transparency rules—what they mean, what’s in the data, and how DME providers can use it to strengthen payer relations and sharpen strategy. This session will unpack CMS’s Transparency in Coverage (TiC) rule and explore real-world implications for DME providers. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of what data is now publicly available, and how to access and interpret it. We’ll discuss how this data can be used to inform payer strategy, strengthen negotiations, and support more informed payer engagement. |
All attendees and exhibitors are invited to join any and all meeting sessions, breaks, meals, and networking opportunities.
THANK YOU TO OUR TOP SUPPORTERS AND CONFERENCE SPONSORS
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