Revolutionizing Durable Medical Equipment: The Story of Apria Healthcare's Transformation

Parachute Health CEO set out to revolutionize medical equipment ordering

TMX contributed to this article. McClatchy is compensated as a part of our syndication partnership with TMX. McClatchy's Commerce Content team, which is independent from our newsroom, oversees this content. David Gelbard created Parachute after seeing his father in pain after struggling to get a simple, yet critical, walker after back surgery. The company just hit 5 million patients served, and modernized the durable medical equipment (DME) industry, which includes things like walkers, wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, to ensure patients get the medical equipment they need to heal. Parachute has grown quickly in 10 years, now making up almost 20% of all DME orders and has 220,000 clinician locations using the platform. Parachute Health digitizes DME ordering so clinicians no longer need to rely on paper and fax orders that are often full of errors that slow down care. "ePrescribing is redefining durable medical equipment delivery and is where the future of the industry lies. Our solution streamlines processes, enhances patient care, and boosts efficiency for suppliers, clinicians, and patients alike," Gelbard, CEO & Founder of Parachute Health, says. By partnering with industry experts, we've created a compliant, patient-focused system that is more than an improvement -- it's a transformation of the DME landscape." Parachute Health's revolutionary DME ePrescribing platform streamlines and digitizes ordering a wide range of products and services, reduces costs for clinicians and suppliers, and ensures patients receive critical medical equipment. And users love it. "It's easy. Easy to navigate and to place orders faster and with confidence, especially during the discharge process," says Sepideh Seifnourian, a social worker at New York City's Upper East Side Rehabilitation. "I love it -- I just love it." Parachute history Gelbard created Parachute Health in 2014 after seeing his father in pain after struggling to get a walker after back surgery. Despite advancements in healthcare technology and digital health records, Gelbard discovered that one critical and massive piece of the healthcare industry was still relying on old school paper and fax orders and that was hurting patients like his father. Gelbard created Parachute to modernize the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) industry to ensure patients get the walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen tanks or whatever medical equipment they need to heal. Parachute serves more than 220,000 clinicians, 66,000+ clinical facilities, and 3,000 supplier locations across the U.S. Keeping up with needs The company recently announced a partnership with Optum and will soon be rolling out new AI features that better ensure orders include all the data needed by health insurance companies so patients get the medical equipment their doctors order for them. This year, in partnership with Optum, Parachute was the first to integrate prior authorization process at the point of care, streamlining ePrescribing for clinicians -- ahead of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for electronic prior authorization by 2027. Clinicians ordering medical equipment and supplies also save an average of two to three hours per week on administrative work that comes with fax-based ordering by seamlessly integrating electronic health records (EHR) on the platform, allowing clinicians to spend more time with patients and reducing burnout.

From Frustration To Transformation - One Man's Vision To Revolutionize The Durable Medical Equipment Industry

Too often, older adults have a difficult time accessing the critical Durable Medical Equipment (DME) they need. The process can often be long and frustrating, making it feel outdated and in need of a major overhaul. That's what David Gelbard discovered when his father faced significant delays in getting a walker after back surgery. Despite advancements in healthcare technology, Gelbard was surprised to find that the DME industry was still reliant on inefficient paper and fax orders and was prone to errors and delays. He knew things had to change. He founded Parachute Health in 2017 with the goal of revolutionizing the system and bringing it into the 21st century. Parachute Health's DME ePrescribing platform simplifies and digitizes the entire ordering process, ensuring patients receive the equipment they need quickly while reducing costs for clinicians and suppliers. "ePrescribing is redefining durable medical equipment delivery and is where the future of the industry lies," Gelbard said. "Our solution streamlines processes, enhances patient care, and boosts efficiency for suppliers, clinicians, and patients alike. By partnering with industry experts, we've created a compliant, patient-focused system that is more than an improvement -- it's a transformation of the DME landscape." Clinicians using Parachute Health save an average of two to three hours per week by avoiding the administrative burden of fax-based orders, the company reports. The platform seamlessly integrates with electronic health records (EHR), simplifying the process. "It's easy," said Sepideh Seifnourian, a social worker at New York City's Upper East Side (UES) Rehabilitation. "Easy to navigate and to place orders faster and with confidence, especially during the discharge process. I love it -- I just love it." Parachute Health reports that it has already served over 5 million patients and now handles nearly 20% of all DME orders in the U.S., partnering with more than 220,000 clinicians, 66,000 clinical facilities and 3,000 supplier locations nationwide. "The true measure of our success at Parachute Health is in the millions of patients we've served and the countless hours we've saved for clinicians. Every step we take is aimed at enhancing the care experience and empowering patient recovery," Gelbard said. This year, Parachute Health, in partnership with Optum, became the first platform to integrate the prior authorization process at the point of care, well ahead of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for electronic prior authorization by 2027. Parachute is also expected to launch new artificial intelligence (AI) features to better ensure that orders include all the data required by insurance companies later this year. Photo credit: Mark Alhadeff TMX contributed to this story. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs