DME Coordinator (Medical Equipment Control)

The DME Coordinator (DME-C) plays a critical role in identifying, coordinating, and fulfilling patients’ durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) needs. Working closely with GHHC Care Team Leads, Patient Coordinators, Physician Liaisons, Technical Writing, physician practices, DME suppliers, and GHME team members, the DME-C serves as GHME’s local “eyes, ears, and voice.”

The DME-C manages the process from initial patient identification and needs assessment through documentation completion, supplier acceptance, and handoff to the HME Specialist. To support informed decision-making, the DME-C maintains a working knowledge of the services, strengths, and offerings of each supplier and uses that knowledge to educate patients and answer their questions. Throughout this process, the DME-C safeguards each patient’s right to choose their equipment provider—presenting options objectively, never steering toward a supplier, and honoring and documenting the patient’s decision. This position requires strong operational discipline, compassionate communication, accurate documentation, dependable relationship management, and consistent follow-through.

Patient Identification and Engagement
a.    Collaborate with Care Team Leads, Patient Coordinators, and Physician Liaisons to identify patients who may benefit from DME.
b.    Contact patients to explain the DME process, assess their needs, address concerns, establish trust, and encourage timely appointment scheduling.
c.    Clearly communicate appointment requirements, documentation needs, request status, and next steps.
d.    Provide a professional, compassionate, and responsive experience during telephone and in-person interactions.
e.    Monitor each patient’s progress from initial identification through documentation completion, supplier acceptance, and handoff to the HME Specialist.

Physician and Appointment Coordination
a.    Establish and maintain productive relationships with DOL-supportive providers, physician practices, and clinic staff.
b.    Lead physician-facing events by establishing dedicated appointment days for DME evaluations and managing scheduling, execution, and follow-up.
c.    Coordinate event logistics across internal teams (Patient Coordinators, Physician Liaisons, and Technical Writers) and external physician practices to maximize completed DME evaluations each day.
d.    Schedule and attend DME appointments with core providers to support complete and accurate visit notes and timely physician signatures.
e.    Confirm that all required patient information, supporting records, and documentation are available before scheduled evaluations.
f.    Coordinate follow-up appointments and actions for evaluations with incomplete documentation or outstanding requirements.

 

Documentation and Process Management
a.    Accurately review patient records, DME requests, supporting documentation, and Salesforce updates to ensure each request is complete and processed correctly.
b.    Manage documentation from the initial patient needs assessment through completion, supplier acceptance, and handoff to the HME Specialist.
c.    Track DME evaluations through physician signature and coordinate follow-up on outstanding documentation.
d.    Monitor evaluation-to-signature and signature-to-supplier-acceptance conversion rates.
e.    Maintain accurate and timely patient notes, request statuses, activity updates, and supporting documentation in Salesforce and other designated systems.
f.    Ensure DME requests are assigned the correct Salesforce status and advanced through the established workflow.
g.    Monitor requests against the 30-day completion expectation and proactively address potential delays.
h.    Ensure requests exceeding turnaround expectations include a current, documented reason for delay and a defined next action.

 

High-Value DME Management
a.    Prioritize qualifying high-value respiratory equipment requests, including oxygen, CPAP, and BiPAP, for rapid documentation, submission, and supplier acceptance.
b.    Work toward having qualifying high-value respiratory requests accepted by the DME supplier within 30 calendar days.
c.    Proactively identify and resolve documentation, appointment, provider-signature, authorization, or supplier barriers that may delay acceptance.
d.    Track qualifying high-value requests from initial identification through supplier acceptance, maintaining accurate status updates and next-action dates.
e.    Ensure at least 90% of qualifying oxygen and CPAP/BiPAP requests are accepted by the DME supplier within 30 calendar days.
f.    Continue monitoring and advancing non-high-value DME requests so they do not age without a documented reason, responsible party, and follow-up action.
g.    Escalate high-value and non-high-value requests that are at risk of exceeding the 30-day expectation.
Success standard:  At least 90% of qualifying O2 and CPAP/BiPAP requests accepted by the DME supplier within 30 calendar days.

 

Authorization and Denial Management
a.    Monitor authorization-pended and denial reports daily.
b.    Review outstanding items, initiate required response actions, and coordinate with the appropriate internal or external stakeholders.
c.    Track pended authorizations and denials through resolution.
d.    Ensure response actions are completed within established turnaround-time expectations.
e.    Escalate delayed, incomplete, denied, or high-priority requests when appropriate.

 

Communication and Relationship Management
a.    Serve as the primary local point of communication between GHME, GHHC care teams, patients, physician practices, DME suppliers, and HME Specialists.
b.    Build productive working relationships with Patient Coordinators, Physician Liaisons, DOL-supportive providers, clinic staff, suppliers, and other partners.
c.    Provide clear and timely updates regarding patient needs, appointments, documentation progress, authorizations, denials, supplier acceptance, and outstanding action items.
d.    Proactively identify workflow barriers and coordinate solutions before delays affect the patient, provider, supplier, or organization.
e.    Participate in team meetings, training sessions, and performance reviews related to DME operations.
f.    Support consistent DME processes and service standards within the assigned market.

Strong organizational, time-management, and attention-to-detail skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to engage patients by telephone, build trust, and encourage timely action.
Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, internal teams, providers, suppliers, and clinic staff.
Ability to manage multiple requests, appointments, priorities, and documentation requirements simultaneously.
Demonstrated accountability, initiative, and ability to follow assignments through completion.
Ability to identify potential delays and coordinate timely solutions.
Proficiency with Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and related healthcare systems, or the ability to learn them quickly.

Ability to protect confidential patient information in accordance with HIPAA requirements and company policies.
Previous experience in healthcare coordination, patient services, medical administration, DME/HME, or a related field is preferred.

Key competencies include attention to detail, patient engagement and trust building, relationship management, delivering a high level of patient satisfaction, clear communication, organization and follow-through, accountability and initiative, and knowledge of DME processes.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
1.    Market-based role; local travel is expected for in-person patient interactions, physician practice visits, and DME evaluation event days.
2.    Standard office environment, with physician-practice and field settings during appointments and events. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.