HME organizations go above and beyond in caring for communities.

—Via AAHomecare, WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 20, 2017)—Storms are brewing, and not just the metaphorical kind caused by crushing reimbursement and regulations. As we move into the late summer months, suppliers are readying their companies for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heat waves and other disasters that wreak havoc on communities, leaving their customers in need of vital equipment and services.

Time and time again, our homecare heroes answer the call, doing what it takes to keep their customers safe.

Whether it’s Continued Care coordinating care for more than 500 patients affected by the blizzard of 2015 in New York, Carolina HME Inc. sending technicians to a flooded skilled living facility to transport patients and equipment to a safe building, Choice Home Medical delivering O2 tanks to North Carolina patients stranded at home in a snowstorm without power, AA Mobility volunteering to deliver groceries to tornado-stricken patients in Texas, or Apria bringing respiratory equipment to displaced patients in shelters from Louisiana floods while reaching out to the more than 700 patients with potentially damaged respiratory equipment, one thing is clear: this is a compassionate industry where service is the bedrock of who we are and what we do.

These stories are just the tip of the iceberg for the selfless and caring acts our members provide across the country, yet inadequate reimbursement and poor policies make it increasingly difficult for suppliers to provide this critical front-line care.

Members of Congress and government agencies often forget the high level of service that accompanies HME, come rain or shine. AAHomecare wants to collect your company’s stories of going above and beyond in caring for your patients when natural disasters strike. These stories will be shared with Capitol Hill, regulatory agencies and others to highlight the important service component of providing HME.

Share your company stories online using the hashtag #HMEServiceinStorms, and submit stories directly to AAHomecare by sending them to Ashley Plauche, AAHomecare’s manager of government affairs, at ashleyp@aahomecare.org.

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.