From executives, analysts and coders to delivery drivers, case managers and billers – we’ve been in your shoes, working in each and every role within your care settings. Take our VP of ReSupply Mike Lorenz.
Mike ran a regional HME in the northwest as its CEO, so he knows what you’re going through. And that’s why he’s proud to be working on the Brightree team – loaded with experts who are not only empathetic to the challenges and needs of providers just like you but also equipped to help you turn your outcomes around. We sat down with Mike to get his insights.
Q: Why did you choose to join Brightree?
A: I was president of a small software startup, and we built a cool solution that helped Brightree’s customers. Brightree liked us, the feeling was mutual, and we wanted to be one family. So, Brightree acquired us. The company is very mission driven, and I believe in their determination to facilitate improved patient care with software and services designed to maximize compliance, protect reimbursements, and automate processes. I also really like the people I work with – so it’s been a great fit going forward. And an interesting journey: I’ve been a Brightree customer, competitor and employee. That kind of experience helps me see all sides.
Q: What drives your motivation?
A: What excites me the most is that we have the best tools in the industry to help our customers. It’s motivating to wake up in the morning knowing that you’re armed to help your customers better than anyone else. It also gives you a certain obligation and responsibility to make sure your customers are getting your best to increase their efficiency. I know how important that is to their business.
Until you’ve been on the frontlines at a provider organization, people can say they get it, but they don’t. When I ran an HME, I sat in your chair and felt what it’s like to not be paid on time, to have a bad experience with a referral source and to see a payer contract go south. That’s why I’m so focused on giving providers an automated resupply system to turn those outcomes around.
Q: What are the most important things to look for in an HME software provider?
A: In most industries, it’s pretty easy to understand who your customer is. In ours, it’s a lot more complex. We’re always juggling constituents. Is the customer your patient who you are helping to live a healthier life? Is the customer your doctor who refers patients to you? Or is your customer the insurance company who pays you?
This complexity requires a software solutions provider with a proven ecosystem that allows you to maintain great referral relationships and provide best-in-class service to patients while interacting more efficiently with payers. You have to accomplish all this while saving time and money during the process. But if you do it right, you’ll let your software automatically take care of your paperwork, claims and reporting to give you more time to look after your patients. That’s where the real payoff is. Because in my mind, it all starts with the patient.
Q: What are some of the top industry challenges facing providers right now?
A: One major issue is reimbursements. Payers have been trying to find ways to pay less for the same services provided year after year to patients. To counter this, HMEs have to become more efficient. The challenge is how to run a thriving business in an environment where you’re getting paid less. This has been a long-term trend. A short-term trend that has made staying profitable even more difficult is the inflationary pressure we have seen in the economy. The upshot is you having payers paying less while everything from products, services and equipment to gas and employees are all getting more expensive. It’s a double whammy on your business.
Q: What solutions can help solve these challenges?
A: Brightree has a whole suite of solutions to help DME businesses thrive. Within resupply, where I spend my time, we are trying to automate as much of the process as possible to help our customers save time and reduce costs. Think about patients who just need a regular set of supplies sent to their home every 90 days. You can do that manually, or you can automate the process and have the speed and efficiency save you a considerable amount of time and money. Now think about it from the patients’ point of view. All they want to do is press a button and get their stuff – just like they do with their other e-commerce relationships. Research tells us that 80% of patients need no regular intervention at all. So why not let the software take care of them and have your employees look after the other 20%? Cutting out 80% of workload adds up to a lot of labor hours saved every month.
Q: Software like this is transformative, but is it affordable?
A: Software might seem expensive when you look at a bill in isolation, but if that software replaces 100 labor hours of work or 1000 labor hours of work, that’s pretty inexpensive in the long run.
Q: What’s the one thing that gives you the most satisfaction in resupply?
A: Patients and providers engaging with our technology. It happens over and over again: providers use our software for the first time and suddenly see how easy it is to contact, interact with and fulfill the needs of their patients. And vice versa for the patients to communicate with their providers. We turn on the technology and it seems like a bright light goes off. We see a huge uptick in orders for the providers and smiles, relief and re-orders from the patients – all because we just solved their problem. For me, that’s super exciting.
At Brightree, we get you. And that’s how we get the automation just right for your HME business – so you can get the care just right for your patients.
Mike has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles across the banking, technology and healthcare industries. Before joining Brightree, he was the President and Head of Product at Snapworx, a start-up software company supporting the home medical equipment (HME) industry. Prior to Snapworx, Mike was the CEO of Sound Oxygen Service, a regional HME company with locations across the Pacific Northwest.
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