General

By Jeremy Stolz, President, VGM & Associates, VGM Fulfillment Leadership is one of those words that feels like it should be easy to accomplish. As you undoubtedly know already, it is anything but. People define leadership in different ways. Each leader has their own style, and employees require different types of leadership depending on their work style. So truthfully, great—or even good—leadership is a complex, everchanging venture. During my 20+ years in leadership, I have done

Essentially Women (EW) has announced Lily, a new mother-baby program designed to help members grow their business in this fast-growing area of the women’s care industry.    Named after the flower associated with femininity, love, and motherhood, Lily is focused on helping members support mothers and babies in every aspect, from pregnancy to new mom and beyond.  This program offers products, services, and solutions to help members support women in all stages of motherhood.

Originally featured in “VGM Playbook: Growing Your Business in Today's Environment" by VGM & Associates, Lindy Tentinger, President of VGM Forbin, explains the opportunity that asking your customers for feedback can have on business development and growth.  I don’t know about any of you, but I could write a book filled with all the one-liners I’ve heard from my parents over the years. Sometimes it was advice I didn’t want to take

The Essentially Women Town Hall meeting on August 25th featured a panel of 3 EW members who talked about their experiences during the pandemic with Nikki Jensen. Check out the full panel discussion video at the bottom of the blog. Here are some highlights from the discussion. Tink Newcomb, MBA, CECMS, CCT Prairie Medical Meridian, ID Q: Were you open during the pandemic? And if so, were you appointment only? A: Because of pneumatic compression, we were considered essential. We were closed

When hard times come, it’s not always easy to think on the bright side. For Brooke Strachan, finding the positives in any situation is her philosophy, and this state of mind is what led to her owning her own business. “I try to make a positive come out of a negative situation,” stated Brooke, owner of The Boob Shop. “Sometimes bad things have to happen in order for good things to happen.” A single mom, Brooke received her degree in medical billing, coding, and

From the CDC: Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility Please refer to the manufacturer for their recommendations for sanitization.   Best Option: Launder  According to the CDC, soft surfaces should be laundered, if possible, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest appropriate water settings and dry items completely.   Second Best Option: Disinfect  If you cannot launder the item, disinfect with an EPA-registered

Many EW members who have billed Medicare in 2019 have received a check for the relief payment, but within that check states that they are required to sign an attestation form and agree to terms and conditions. Many are confused about particular items in these terms and conditions, including the statement that they must be involved in providing care for COVID-19 patients and use the funds to provide care or respond to COVID-19.  Craig Douglas, VP of Payer and Member Relations for VGM & Associates,

For more than 20 years, Essentially Women has been committed to providing benefits and services to hundreds of mastectomy and home medical equipment providers, salons and boutiques nationwide. EW strives to foster relationships to help build strong business alliances, to connect you with like-minded professionals and experts, to provide essential business programs and services that help you compete and prosper, and to make sure that you have the time to focus on what you do best - take care of patients

In the highly regulated environment of the DME industry, it is essential that providers comply with federal anti-fraud laws, state anti-fraud laws, supplier standards, accreditation requirements, and guidance from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers. Serious consequences can occur for suppliers who violate one or more of the federal anti-fraud laws.  In a recent article from Medtrade, the "Cliff Notes" version of the federal anti-fraud guidance is provided and includes information

On January, 1 2020, CMS made it effective that only one type of order is needed for DMEPOS claims, in an effort to help reduce supplier and provider burden. As such, the preliminary/dispensing order, Detailed Written Order (DWO), Five Element Order (5EO)/Written Order Prior to Delivery (WOPD), Seven Element Order (7EO), and Detailed Product Description (DPD) are no longer needed for DMEPOS and have been replaced by a Standard Written Order (SWO). However, with this publication came many questions