Home Health Care for an ACO World
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Home Health Depot, Inc., an Indianapolis headquartered home medical equipment company focused on patient outcomes, has grown from a small durable medical equipment (DME) company to one that serves patients in three states. By focusing on the full continuum of care, Home Health Depot takes a comprehensive approach to keeping people in their homes and reducing hospital readmissions.
Preparing for the Future of Health Care
The comprehensiveness of Home Health Depot’s services positions the company well to help hospitals and providers adjust to the impending establishment of accountable care organizations (ACOs) as mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
“While the final ACO rules have yet to be written, it’s clear that we must continue to focus on post-acute care and a safe home environment, as the financial model is definitely shifting to improved care at home. Our role in chronic disease management will also be crucial to the success of ACOs because individuals with chronic conditions require constant monitoring in order to reduce the number of hospitalizations,” states David Hartley, CEO of Home Health Depot. “Home Health Depot not only provides home medical products but takes a holistic approach in evaluating a patient and his or her home environment. Our company is one of the few that actually goes into patients’ homes to assess them where they live and make recommendations for products and services that will help them better manage their diseases. Our staff members are the front lines of defense for alerting physicians or hospitals if we notice a problem with a patient or his or her home. Our products and services increase the odds of a patient being able to stay in his or her home and reduce the risk of hospitalization or readmission, which is a core focus of ACOs. Put simply, we work with our partner hospitals to ensure that our patients have the best possible chance for a positive medical outcome.”
Home Health Depot was founded in 1998 and purchased six years later by Hartley. Nathan Feltman, the company’s President, joined Hartley in ownership in 2010, after serving in Governor Daniels’ administration as Secretary of Commerce and a partner in the corporate department at Baker & Daniels law firm. The impetus for Hartley’s purchase of Home Health Depot lay in his desire to help people receive the medical equipment they need in a more timely and responsive manner.
“I had worked with rehab providers in three states, and I could never understand why it took so long for a patient in need to receive the equipment that would allow him or her to live a better and fuller life,” Hartley says. “I thought, ‘There must be a better way.’ When I purchased Home Health Depot, I decided we would always put the patient first and focus all our efforts on quality of care, speed, communication with the patient and ultimately, working to ensure positive outcomes for our patients. We always want patients to know where we are in the process of getting them the medical equipment they need.”
Home Health Depot has experienced tremendous growth in both geographic locations and scope of services in the seven years since Hartley purchased the company. From its first store in southern Indianapolis, the company has grown to include 12 locations — plus the corporate offices in Indianapolis — and 126 employees. Today, Home Health Depot is also the exclusive provider of DME for four Veterans Administration hospitals in Indiana and central Illinois.
Divided to Serve, United in Mission
Home Health Depot consists of five distinct divisions, and together they form a full continuum of care for disabled or elderly individuals who wish to live safely and comfortably at home.
Home Health Depot, Inc. was honored to receive several recognitions in 2010 and 2011, including:
- One of the top workplaces in Indiana by TopWorkplaces.com, 2011
- Fifth-fastest growing private company in Central Indiana by the Indianapolis Business Journal, 2011
- One of the top eight small businesses in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, 2010
Aging in Place — Some patients who wish to remain in their homes require modification of their dwelling places or installation of assistive equipment in order to do so. The Aging in Place division performs services such as remodeling a bathroom to include a wheel-in shower and other bath safety equipment, widening doorways to accommodate wheelchairs, installing ramps, outfitting cars with vehicle lifts, installing a stair lift to allow someone to get up and down a staircase and installing track systems to allow immobile individuals to move around the home. Staff members first assess a patient’s entire home to ensure the safety of his or her environment, thus preventing the patient from having to enter a long-term care facility.
Complex Rehabilitation — This division focuses on supplying patients with the greatest needs — such as those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury and stroke — with the mobility equipment they need, such as custom wheelchairs, lifts and specialty bath safety equipment. Home Health Depot is the largest complex rehabilitation provider in Indiana, employing 12 Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America-certified assistive technology professionals, who work with patients to ensure they receive everything they need to thrive at home.
Respiratory — Home Health Depot provides equipment around the clock for patients who receive oxygen prescriptions from their physicians, including portable and transportable oxygen concentrators. Continuous positive airway pressure machines and bilevel positive airway pressure machines are available for individuals diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Retail — Six full-line retail stores are stocked with a variety of DME products from canes and lift chairs to walkers and wheelchairs.
E-Commerce and Catalog — In 2010, Home Health Depot purchased Arcadia Healthcare’s Rite at Home e-commerce and catalog division, enabling the company to offer DME for purchase online at www.homemedexpress.com. The company also partners with Sears to produce and distribute a health and wellness catalog. Offering DME for order through these channels allows patients’ children who may live in other parts of the country the ability to purchase the items their parents need and have them delivered hassle free.
For more information about Home Health Depot, call (317) 333-6033 or visit
www.hhdepot.com.
Home Health Depot, Inc.
MD News August/September 2011, Indianapolis