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How to Choose a DME Software Platform: 5 Key Criteria to Consider

The Parachute Health Team

Digitization is the future of DME ordering—but how should clinicians and HME providers adapt? Recent Senate efforts suggest ePrescribing could become mandatory in the coming years,1 while long-standing frustrations with fax-based orders have already driven a shift toward digital-first orders.

This article explores how clinicians and HME providers can ensure they select the best partners to help them adapt to digital ordering. We explore the marketplace for DME software and equip readers with the right questions to ask any potential vendor.

DME Software 101: An Expert Overview

What is DME Software?

DME software is a category of digital solutions that enable users to submit, process, and manage DME orders via an online platform. 

For decades, clinicians and HME providers have relied on legacy systems like faxes, paper forms, and phone calls to complete these processes. But as the limitations, frustrations, and flaws of these manual approaches have become clearer, innovative technology has been developed to improve the process and produce meaningful benefits for both clinicians and providers.

Why DME Software is Essential for Clinicians

Every clinician wants to ensure their patients get the equipment they need exactly when they need it. But traditional DME order processes make this difficult; manual, fax-based ordering leads to:

  • Incomplete Orders: Clinicians are often left unsure about the specific documentation health plans require, which means 50% of fax-based orders are submitted with incomplete information. Manual ordering processes are also prone to human error, with some studies suggesting more than 70% of initial orders contain incorrect information.

  • Delayed Care: Patients often require DME to return home, but outdated order systems make it harder to access that equipment right when it’s needed. One study found that 67.9% of hospitals report delaying patient discharge due to a lack of timely access to DME.2

  • Lack of Transparency: Once the fax-based order is processed, clinicians often struggle to monitor its progress. While they can call the HME provider, this is time-consuming and complicated, leaving 68% of clinicians unable to monitor order status.3

DME software can eliminate these errors, accelerate ordering, and provide end-to-end visibility of the order. Parachute Health helps them submit orders 14x faster, with 98% of orders qualifying as “clean”—meaning they require no additional information and can be processed immediately.

As a result, patients receive their DME faster and clinicians can spend more time focused on care. But it’s not just clinicians that stand to benefit from choosing the right DME software.

Why DME Software is Essential for HME Providers

HME providers want to process more orders and win referrals, but fax-based ordering forces them to process orders manually, leading to:

  • Extra Work: Fax-based orders are slow and labor-intensive to process, with complex orders sometimes requiring up to 16 calls between provider and clinician to coordinate.4 

  • Smaller Margins: Inefficient manual order processing leads to 30% higher operational costs,5 while missing documentation can result in missed reimbursements and revenue leakage.

  • Reputation Risk: Manual DME processes make it more challenging to keep patients informed and manage orders efficiently. But research shows that poor order management can lead to a 20-point reduction in net promoter score (NPS)6

All this will only become more urgent with the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), as product prices will be driven down and HME providers will need to reduce their administrative costs to compensate for narrowing margins.7

Modern DME platforms can replace outdated workflows with digital tools that reduce manual processing, improve administrative efficiency, and facilitate a better experience for clinicians and patients. Providers that adopt DME software then become the provider of choice.

However, not all DME software is developed equally; many actually introduce new challenges to the DME ordering process.

The Challenge of Choosing a DME Software Solution

Clinicians and HME providers face four common problems when selecting DME software:

  • Usability: DME software should be intuitive and simple, making life easier for clinicians and providers—especially during the transition period when they’re learning to use the technology. But not every platform delivers this; some have clunky, unintuitive interfaces or simply lack specific features like auto-fill that users would appreciate.

  • Integration: DME software should fit seamlessly into the user’s existing digital ecosystem. This is particularly true for clinicians, who must be able to easily introduce their DME software to existing EHRs—and not every software provider offers pre-existing integrations.

  • Vendor Neutrality: DME software should connect clinicians with a broad range of HME providers, ensuring users can pinpoint the most appropriate equipment for their patients’ needs. But some platforms have limited vendor options, leading patients to miss out on the best products.

  • Tool Integration: DME software comprises multiple distinct tools, including ePrescribing and AI Intake—both of which are required to deliver a truly seamless, end-to-end digital ordering experience. However, many providers offer just one of these tools, meaning users must source the other elsewhere, which creates extra research, due diligence, training, and integration work.

That’s why our team has developed a comprehensive selection criteria to help clinicians and HME providers navigate the market and ask vendors the right questions.

5 Key Criteria When Choosing DME Software

1. Standard Workflows

The best DME software eliminates administrative friction without disrupting established clinical or order management processes. It should reduce clicks, digitize fax-based orders, and minimize data re-entry while efficiently handling high-volume orders. The platform must anticipate and automate routine tasks, allowing staff to complete repetitive processes faster with fewer errors.

Questions to ask vendors:

  • Can new staff place orders using our existing workflows with minimal retraining?
  • How many clicks does it take to complete a standard DME order from start to finish?
  • Does the platform automatically populate recurring documentation requirements?

2. System Integrations

Without seamless EHR and practice management integration, staff waste time duplicating work across platforms. The right solution pulls in patient data automatically, populates required fields, and syncs updates in real-time. This eliminates transcription errors and ensures compliance with evolving regulatory requirements without manual intervention.

Questions to ask vendors:

  • Which EHR systems does your platform integrate with natively?
  • How does patient data flow between our existing systems and your platform?
  • Can the platform automatically update order status in our practice management system?

3. Usability

Intuitive design drives adoption and reduces training costs. Staff should be able to navigate the platform confidently after minimal training, completing common actions without consulting manuals or contacting support. Poor usability leads to workarounds that defeat the purpose of digital transformation.

Questions to ask vendors:

  • How long does it typically take new users to become proficient with the platform?
  • Can we customize the interface to match our team's preferences and workflows?
  • What ongoing training resources do you provide as new features are released?

4. Intelligent Automation

Intelligent automation eliminates repetitive tasks like eligibility verification, form completion, and prior authorization routing. Advanced platforms use AI to digitize fax orders (known as “AI intake”), validate documentation, and learn from practice patterns to suggest appropriate codes. This speeds turnaround times while reducing human error.

Questions to ask vendors:

  • Which manual tasks can your platform automate completely?
  • How does your AI learn and adapt to our specific practice patterns?
  • What error-checking occurs before orders are submitted to providers?

5. Vendor Support and Partnership

DME regulations are constantly evolving, making vendor expertise essential for long-term success. The right partner provides responsive support, regular updates, and compliance guidance to help users adapt to changing requirements. They should offer implementation assistance, ongoing training, and strategic consultation beyond basic technical support.

Questions to ask vendors:

  • How quickly do you typically respond to support requests during business hours?
  • What resources do you provide to help us stay compliant with new regulations?
  • Can you share references from similar practices that have used your platform for over two years?

3 Extra Considerations for Clinicians

Clinicians face unique DME ordering challenges that require specialized platform features beyond basic functionality. They need systems that support ongoing patient relationships, provide access to comprehensive product catalogs, and automatically adapt to complex payer requirements without adding administrative burden.

They must therefore consider:

  1. Order-specific chat: Does the software enable you to chat with the HME provider and streamline reordering?

  2. Product options: Does the platform offer access to a broad range of equipment categories and multiple qualified providers in the local area?

  3. Health plan requirements: Does the software automatically assess and flag missing documentation based on specific payer requirements before submission?

3 Extra Considerations for HME Providers

HME providers are under pressure to deliver a standout experience for patients and clinicians. Not only do they want to process orders fast, they want to manage them efficiently and enable fast delivery.

They must therefore consider:

  1. Fax intake: Does the software efficiently intake incoming fax and digital orders together, reducing manual processing time and transcription errors?

  2. ERP integration: Does the platform sync with existing ERP and warehouse management systems to improve demand forecasting and order fulfillment?

  3. Communication: Does the software enable automated status updates and secure messaging with patients and clinicians to reduce phone calls and email chains?

Why Parachute Health Leads the Way

Parachute Health delivers best-in-class DME software that connects clinicians and HME providers to the nation’s largest ePrescribing network and delivers built-in AI Intake to support HME providers on their fax intake as well. From seamless integration with all major EHRs to our intuitive user interface (UI), the Parachute Platform was developed to meet every criterion listed above—and help clinicians and providers finally give patients the DME ordering experience they deserve.

More than 270k clinicians and 3k HME provider locations trust Parachute to:

  • Unlock faster, more accurate ordering and processing 
  • Gain total transparency at every step of the order process
  • Accelerate DME delivery so patients get equipment when they need it

Want to explore how the platform could help you achieve the same results?

1 https://www.hmenews.com/article/senate-appropriations-committee-urges-e-prescribing-for-oxygen
2 https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-CHA-DME-Survey-Update.pdf
3 https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
4 https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
5 https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
6 https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
7 https://aahomecare.org/2025-DMEPOS-proposed-rule