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Fax is Failing Patients: How Outdated DME Ordering Processes Delay Care

The Parachute Health Team

Patients with chronic conditions often rely on durable medical equipment (DME), but outdated ordering processes are letting them down. Fax-based orders and manual order processing systems leave many waiting in uncertainty for their equipment; one study found that over 54.4% of hospital case workers “always” or “often” had issues accessing basic DME items for Medicare beneficiaries.1

This article explores how these processes impact patient experience and health outcomes. Readers will learn:

  • How outdated DME ordering can harm patient mental health
  • Why fax-based orders lead to disconnected care
  • What a truly patient-centric DME ordering system looks like

How Outdated Ordering Hurts Patients

Roughly 80% of DME orders are still submitted via fax, but research suggests that 70% of these orders contain errors and 50% are missing information or documentation required by health plans. This creates a significant manual administrative burden for both clinicians and HME providers:

  • The average clinician takes 71 minutes to submit an order, which gives them less time to focus on patient care

  • The average HME provider that processes orders manually experiences 30% higher operating costs than necessary.2

But patients and their families feel the impact of these inefficiencies most directly, with the clearest impacts caused by:

1. Delayed Discharge

For patients who need DME following an inpatient stay, equipment like walkers and oxygen masks are often required prior to discharge. Problems with ordering and fulfilling DME orders therefore disrupt the discharge process; 67.9% of hospitals report delaying patient discharge when DME is unavailable or delayed.3

This has a number of consequences for patient care:

  • Patient Experience: Patients and their families often feel trapped “in limbo” when a discharge date is postponed or the timeline isn’t clear. Families are forced to rearrange schedules, and patients may experience frustration, anxiety, and a sense of helplessness.

  • Patient Outcomes: The longer a patient remains in the hospital unnecessarily, the greater their risk of complications such as infections.42 Delays in DME fulfillment are associated with a 30% higher likelihood of readmission.5

  • Hospital Patient Flow: When patients cannot be discharged, beds and equipment remain tied up, limiting access for other patients. Delayed DME orders can place additional strain on acute care facilities that may already be operating near capacity.

2. Disconnected Care

Fax-based DME ordering leads to fragmentation in patient care through:

  • Clinician Distraction: Complicated DME ordering processes take clinicians away from patients, with complex orders requiring 16 calls to coordinate delivery.6

  • Lack of Transparency: Patients struggle to access order updates or gain clarity about when they should expect equipment to be delivered. Even clinicians struggle to access updates, with 68% saying they are unable to monitor order status.7

  • Insufficient Education: More than 45% of clinicians report limited or no patient education upon delivery of DME.8 With fax-based orders, clinicians struggle to contact HME providers and request support to ensure patients are able to use their equipment properly. 

This has led to growing efforts to digitize DME ordering; the Senate Appropriations Committee recently directed CMS to develop a plan for e-prescribing supplemental oxygen, underscoring how outdated processes delay patient care.9 But targeted interventions are just the beginning.

The future of DME must streamline all aspects of the ordering and management process.

At Parachute Health, we want to see a future where every patient’s insurance card works like a credit card — fast, simple, and reliable. And we’ve already built the technology to make that a reality.

What True Digital Transformation Looks Like for DME Orders

Parachute Health is already trusted by 270k clinicians and 3k DME supplier locations to digitize DME ordering and management—and deliver a better experience for patients. Combining the nation’s largest ePrescribing network with AI Intake, the Parachute Platform enables:

Faster Submission

Clinicians submit orders digitally using the intuitive Parachute Platform. It leverages auto-fill features to avoid re-entering the same information multiple times and to populate existing patients’ details. 

This delivers several clear benefits for patients:

  • Clinicians can search multiple provider catalogs, identify the right equipment, and assess HME providers to ensure they offer the support patients need.

  • Insurance coverage is automatically assessed to avoid denials and billing complications.

  • Clinicians spend less time filing paperwork and more time focused on patient care.

Rapid Order Intake

HME providers can receive all orders digitally, even those submitted via fax. The platform automatically flags missing or incomplete information, enabling clinicians to pre-empt missing documentation and submit orders with everything providers require to process the order. 

Orders processed via ePrescribing or AI Intake are therefore serviced and fulfilled faster than fax-based orders. As a result, patients are less vulnerable to unexpected order delays that could keep them in the hospital longer than necessary. 

Transparent Communication

Patients can easily monitor their orders via automatic real-time updates; in many cases, they can also contact the HME provider directly via chat to request extra information or clarification. This gives them confidence during the order process, reducing anxiety and uncertainty.

These features combine to create an end-to-end digital ecosystem, which has been proven to produce:

  • More Accurate Orders: The Parachute Platform enables clinicians to submit DME orders 14 times faster, eliminates 80% of manual effort for HME providers, and delivers a 98% clean order rate.*

  • Faster Delivery: Parachute Health’s connected digital ecosystem enables DME orders to be delivered within less than 1 day.

  • Happier Patients: Data from health plans shows that member satisfaction rates jump to 95% when using ePrescribing networks.

Patients deserve better DME experiences—and you can start delivering them today.

* Clean orders are orders that are accepted by the supplier upon first submission.
1 https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-CHA-DME-Survey-Update.pdf
2 https://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
3 https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-CHA-DME-Survey-Update.pdf
4 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11210572/
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://www.beckerspayer.com/leadership/hidden-costs-unveiled-the-financial-impact-of-dmepos-mismanagement
8 https://calhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-CHA-DME-Survey-Update.pdf
9 https://www.hmenews.com/article/senate-appropriations-committee-urges-e-prescribing-for-oxygen