Sheldon Prial

I was delighted to read the article “Accreditation Nation” by Wayne Link and the conversation with Mary Ellen Conway in the April 2005 issue. The industry has taken a giant step forward.

I do not know just how many years I personally have been campaigning for licensure for DME/HME dealers. I have spoken and written about the importance and value of a license, which I strongly believe should be earned by DME/HME dealers. I know we have accomplished licensure in about a third of the states and I hope to see it soon in the rest.

I am excited that HHS is planning to provide standards and will recognize accreditation as an indication of these being met. However, this is insufficient! Standards and recognition without the ability to punish violators and infringements is really not an achievement. A pair of licenses, one each to the proprietor or principal and to the company itself, are necessary to provide teeth to the legislation. Then when a dealer is found in any violations of the law, the license can be suspended until corrections have been made, and for flagrant and egregious violators, the license can be revoked.

I would like to see very strict standards for the equipment that is provided by a dealer. We must raise these above the lowest common denominator. The dealer must prove they know DME, and the establishment must prove it is in accord with all local and other requirements. This has been accomplished very successfully with pharmacy, and I see little difficulty to prepare something similar for DME/HME.

ACHC, JCAHO, CHAP, and Compliance Team are to be congratulated for the standards they have set. Now let us provide them with the ability to enforce these, not just when a dealer is preparing for renewal.

—Sheldon Prial, director of government relations for Graham-Field Health Products, Melbourne, Fla.