HealthTap offers DME suppliers on-demand doctors for sleep patients
- HealthTap launched a virtual primary care program for DME suppliers on Oct. 12.
- The program covers PAP therapy from first evaluation to device replacement.
- About 30 million U.S. adults have obstructive sleep apnea.
- Medicare requires a PAP reevaluation between days 31 and 91 of therapy.
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Virtual primary care company HealthTap has launched a program that gives sleep and respiratory durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers access to physicians for the evaluations, documentation and orders patients need before therapy or supplies can proceed.
The service lets suppliers hand off a step that can hold up orders and delay reimbursement.
How the program works
HealthTap physicians review records and device data, evaluate the patient and return chart notes and orders to the supplier, according to MedCity News.
The program covers positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy from the initial evaluation and treatment orders through compliance, resupply and device replacement.
Suppliers also get updates when patients book, complete, cancel, miss or reschedule appointments.
“Suppliers get real-time visit and documentation updates instead of chasing paperwork,” said Sean Mehra, HealthTap’s chief executive officer.
Why paperwork holds up therapy
“Delays in appointments, prescriptions, or required documentation can hold up orders, disrupt patient care, and delay reimbursement,” Mehra said.
About 30 million U.S. adults have obstructive sleep apnea, and physician involvement is important for those on PAP therapy.
Under Medicare, continued coverage for certain PAP devices requires a treating practitioner to reevaluate the patient between days 31 and 91 after therapy begins.
The practitioner must also document the therapy’s benefit and the patient’s adherence.
Mehra said supplier teams spend significant time calling physician offices, checking whether a visit occurred and waiting for documentation before they can move forward.
Under HealthTap’s model, completed visit notes and signed orders reach suppliers right after the visit through integrated workflows.
“Someone needing a follow-up evaluation or an updated prescription should have an easy way to see a physician and understand the next steps,” Mehra said.
HealthTap, based in Sunnyvale, California, provides primary care in all 50 states in partnership with payers, pharmacies, providers and cost-sharing organizations.
What suppliers should ask
For DME suppliers, the program moves physician access and clinical paperwork to an outside provider, the same logic behind healthcare outsourcing of other administrative work.
Suppliers weighing a telehealth partner for this step can ask how quickly signed orders come back and how notes meet Medicare’s reevaluation window.
They can compare partners on the top healthcare outsourcing companies in the United States list.
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