Össur, headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, has launched a new, streamlined, smartphone version of its Empower program, a comprehensive practice management solution for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetic and orthotic suppliers and orthotic and prosthetic practices.
The fully automated program provides real-time validation of patient eligibility, electronic claims submission and documentation generation.
According to the company, “Empower’s Inventory Management module allows inventory of various types, including DME, non-DME and serialized assets, at an unlimited number of designated locations to be checked remotely real-time. It also provides paperless dispensing, tracking and replenishment whenever needed through barcode scanning and PAR [periodic automatic replenishment] level notifications.”
“Empower also facilitates seamless fulfillment with timely, secure, and trackable DME product shipments directly to patients nationwide, which may be especially important as more clinicians conduct patient visits via Telehealth technologies as a result of new practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Managing Inventory in the Palm of Your Hand
Össur’s also offers a wide range of clinician support services, including global product support, clinical training programs, and reimbursement support services. These include its proprietary orthotic and prosthetic reimbursement and regulatory program, offering up-to-date intelligence on any alterations in billing codes and reimbursement rules and regulations.
Össur Vice President, Americas Bracing & Supports Mark Tymchenko told OTW, “We have had overwhelmingly positive response to our original Empower program, and with the added operational challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Össur sought to create an app solution that could allow clinics to manage their DME inventory workflow in the palm of their hands with easy-to-use features such as the built-in camera bar code scanner. The app simplifies the dispensing process, allowing clinics to focus on managing their inventory straight from their phones or tablets, while removing any other extra steps that may complicate their everyday patient care processes.”
The virus sets the timeline…
“The coronavirus pandemic itself influenced the timeframe of the Empower App’s launch,” said Tymchenko to OTW. “CMS was encouraging telehealth appointments and we immediately saw that clinicians could benefit from resources that could help them comply with the new guidance, which we provided via Össur Telehealth Practitioner and Patient Guides.”
“The coronavirus pandemic’s quarantine and work-from-home requirements have significantly reduced the on-site staff in most physicians’ offices, yet patients still need healthcare. Even working remotely, clinicians still need to be able to file claims and manage their inventory, including dispensing, delivery and replenishment, and Empower facilitates all of that by offering secure, direct product shipment to patients while keeping clinics compliant to their respective LCD guidelines.”
“The pandemic also made Empower’s capability to quickly and efficiently deliver orthopaedic braces directly to patients’ homes while staying compliant all the more critical, so even if physicians were working remotely or in-office visits were no longer feasible, patients would still receive the DME they need.”
