What Is HME in Healthcare? Home Medical Equipment Overview
What is HME in healthcare? HME—or home medical equipment—includes a range of durable medical equipment (DME) items that patients can use in the comfort of their homes rather than in a clinical setting.
Home medical equipment is rising in popularity as patients' preferences shift toward receiving treatment at home. Patients with long-term or chronic conditions may wish to consider how home medical equipment (HME) can meet their needs and improve their quality of life.
What Is HME?
HME, or home medical equipment, describes a range of devices that are used with or by patients whose conditions are being managed at home. For patients with ongoing medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that require regular monitoring, HME provides an alternative to regular hospital visits and allows patients to monitor their conditions themselves.
The scope of home healthcare equipment is quite wide and applies to many different types of devices. In many cases, these devices will be available in a "home-use model," which provides the patient or caregiver with features that differ from the model used in a hospital or other private facility. This is to ensure that the device can be used easily and safely by laypeople.
Examples of HME
Some of the most common HME examples include (but are not limited to):
Hemodialysis machines
Mobility aid devices like walkers, canes, and crutches
Wheelchairs
Hospital beds, pressure mattresses, lift beds, and other bed equipment
Oxygen concentrators, monitors, ventilators, and related supplies
What Are the Advantages of Home Medical Devices?
For patients: Access to HME allows patients and their caregivers to administer care or monitor a medical condition at home. This reduces trips to the hospital and can decrease the extra stress involved in keeping endless appointments.
For healthcare providers: The use of home medical equipment reduces the cost of healthcare services administered in clinical settings while providing the same level of care.
DME, HME, and DMEPOS
DME, HME, and DMEPOS are acronyms that are used in the medical and insurance industries to describe home medical equipment in the United States. They stand for:
DME: Durable medical equipment
HME: Home medical equipment
DMEPOS: Durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies
While HME and DME refer to mainly the same concept, DMEPOS is much broader. DMEPOS covers items such as prosthetic devices, orthotic items like neck, arm, leg, or back braces, and some medical supplies that don’t fit under the umbrella of HME or DME.
What Is the Difference between Durable Medical Equipment and HME?
Home medical equipment and durable medical equipment are very similar concepts and one device can easily be both. However, there is a slight difference in what HME and DME refer to.
HME is equipment that’s designed to assist patients in looking after their health at home. In contrast, DME refers to durable, medically required equipment intended for home use for which Medicare or the patient’s healthcare insurance company may provide financial coverage.
How to Obtain HME
Anyone can rent or buy most home medical equipment directly from a medical supply store. The only reason someone might need a doctor’s prescription for the equipment is if they’re trying to get it covered by Medicare. In our Denver, Colorado showroom, we stock a wide range of HME that can be rented or purchased without a prescription. We always inspect and give training in the proper use of each device when providing home medical equipment to customers.
HME that also qualifies as DME may be covered (completely or partially) by Medicare or private health insurance companies. However, not all home medical equipment suppliers will accept health insurance and not all HME items will be covered by insurance. Patients should research their options when considering different brands and suppliers.
HME Can Improve Home Care
Many patients find great convenience and comfort in receiving treatment at home. For these patients and their caregivers, HME can make a real difference in their quality of life as they can monitor their condition without constant trips to the hospital.
When choosing devices to use at home, ask your healthcare provider which pieces of equipment you need and research different brands, models, and features before making a decision. You can often rent HME before purchasing it to make sure you’re happy with your choice.