FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Justin Hawley – rtNOW Phone: (507) 202-0715 Email: justin@rtnow.net

rtNOW Launches rtNOW Certified Program

Vapotherm^® HVT^® 2.0 first product to be certified for Usability.

FRANKENMUTH, MI, February 17, 2022 – Telerespiratory pioneer rtNOW announced a certification program today designed to highlight the critical thinking skills of rtNOW’s respiratory therapists and provide companies a mark of excellence for their product and services.

“rtNOW holds a unique position with access to an abundance of experienced respiratory therapists during a time of RT shortages,” said Justin Hawley, Chief Strategy Officer of rtNOW.  “The rtNOW Certified program is an opportunity for companies to get a product in front of our RTs, and to let the respiratory therapists and additional staff have meaningful interaction with it and provide appropriate feedback.  If certified, we can then let our respiratory therapists and the industry at large know that a product or service is compatible with our processes and standards of excellence.  We are thrilled to have the Vapotherm HVT 2.0 device as the first product certified.  Vapotherm has a long history of respiratory innovation, and we are grateful for the opportunity to empower respiratory care with them.” 

The first certification to be awarded to Vapotherm is for Usability.  For this certification, rtNOW used a cohort of respiratory therapists with recent inpatient experience to conduct independent testing of Vapotherm’s HVT 2.0 device based on a customized, hands-on evaluation and clinician survey tool.  

“We are honored to be awarded the rtNOW seal of approval for the HVT 2.0 device”, said Cara Collins, Director of Global Marketing for Vapotherm.  “The respiratory therapists who participated in the product evaluation provided invaluable feedback to ensure we continue to meet the needs of clinicians and their patients”.  

“This certification is the first of many to come.  We are outlining certifications for areas such as telerespiratory software, wearable devices, and more as industry presents the demand,” said Hawley.

Any company interested in a certification should contact Justin Hawley at justin@rtnow.net.

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For additional information about rtNOW please visit rtnow.net/rtnow-certified-program .

For additional information about Vapotherm, please visit vapotherm.com

VAPOTHERM and HVT are registered trademarks of Vapotherm, Inc.

rtNOW is excited to announce the partnership with Joerns Healthcare.

Read the press release below:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. and FRANKENMUTH, Mich., June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Joerns Healthcare, a healthcare technology and equipment services company, announced the addition of consulting telerespiratory services to its portfolio through an exclusive agreement with rtNOW.  Joerns will initially leverage the respiratory services of rtNOW, which include registered, certified respiratory therapists to provide remote tele-connected delivery for proper device/therapy setup, ongoing use and troubleshooting for caregivers and clinicians along the clinical pathway.  The inclusion of the rtNOW telehealth capability complements the existing BioIntelliSense remote patient monitoring (RPM) solution that is part of Joerns first-in-class Connexio™ platform.

rtNOW brings unique and comprehensive capabilities to the respiratory care field and has quickly been recognized as a leader in delivering clinician education, patient support and device training from their remote learning and support portal.  Users can connect directly from anywhere with a respiratory therapist by simply clicking on a provided link. The rtNOW platform uses high quality video via a proprietary HIPPA compliant link, allowing a telerespiratory therapist to not only answer questions, but view settings on respiratory equipment, provide just-in-time education, and troubleshoot equipment issues.

“Telehealth has become essential in value-based care. We are excited to continually drive healthcare forward with these kinds of innovative services that empower providers, caregivers, their patients and families at the point-of-care, no matter where that happens to be,” said Doug Ferguson, chief strategy officer for Joerns Healthcare.  “rtNOW is another example of a clinical technology solution that Joerns is bringing to market that can be used standalone, or in concert with our other AI-enabled technologies, to help in the transition from a bed-centered care system to a patient-centered care ecosystem. Our partnership with rtNOW brings another powerful tool into our remote patient monitoring offering, allowing the effective and safe care of the patient anywhere.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Joerns to provide long-term healthcare facilities with access to our telerespiratory therapists,” says Curt Merriman, chief sales officer at rtNOW.  “We both have our eyes on the future, and the inclusion of our AI-driven services within their growing technology portfolio provides a cost-effective, turnkey, and scalable solution, further simplifying the experience for their customers.”

About rtNOW
rtNOW is a unique telehealth service directed at empowering respiratory care for HME companies and in rural and urban healthcare locations in outpatient and inpatient settings. Professional, experienced respiratory therapists provide remote PAP set-ups, home non-invasive ventilator follow-ups, and remote physiological monitoring for patients. Our inpatient telerespiratory therapists assist nursing colleagues with respiratory care knowledge and experience at the bedside. Visit rtNOW.net for more information.

About Joerns Healthcare
Joerns Healthcare is a healthcare technology and equipment services company focused on driving the transformation of care nationally across the post-acute continuum. We are simplifying the complex post-acute care world by providing the technology, professionals, products, and data to help streamline the process, so providers concentrate on care. Joerns brings our national service footprint, the right products, and over 130 years of expertise to help navigate the new complexities that surround accountable care and optimize patient and financial outcomes. Visit Joerns.com for more information.

Our President and CEO Chuck Stadler Jr was recently a guest on the HME Business Podcast with David Kopf. Feel free to take a listen: https://hme-business.com/articles/2021/11/04/podcast-060.aspx?s=esource_081121&admgarea=esource&oly_enc_id=

Our very own Curt Merriman was asked to prepare a 4-part article for HME News “Smart Talk” column. We happily are reprinting it here.

Q. With the continued shortage of respiratory therapists, how do we look for ways to maximize this scarce resource? 

A.One HME company has outsourced their RT coverage exclusively with a tele-respiratory therapist. This organization incorporates a couple of strategies: 

The customer comes into the HME’s location and meets with a customer service representative and a tele-respiratory therapist joins remotely to provide the PAP setup instruction. The relationship is developed between the in-location staff, as well as the remote RT. 

The HME technician delivers the device to the customer’s home and the driver technician uses their work smartphone and a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app to connect the tele-respiratory therapist in the customer’s home to provide whatever equipment instruction is needed.  

The driver technicians delivering and setting up equipment in the home are a staple of the HME industry. Combining the driver’s role with the RT or other health care professionals could be a game changer. The HME company is able to offer the convenience of delivery and set up in the home and again maximize their resources by providing the clinical component to the setup instructions via telehealth.  

Providing the “hands on” equipment manipulation in the home removes some of the physical barriers that are present when performing completely remote setups. This hybrid process enhances the patient-caregiver relationship with the HME as it would with the RT delivering and setting up the device in person.  

Innovation has always played a role in how we care for our patients at home. HME respiratory care is at a crossroads. Those who are willing to utilize tele-respiratory therapists will reap the benefits of scalable, patient-centered solutions, while keeping staff RTs refreshed and excited about their roles.

Curt Merriman is chief sales officer for rtNow. Reach him at curt@rtNow.net.

Our very own Curt Merriman was asked to prepare a 4-part article for HME News “Smart Talk” column. We happily are reprinting it here.

Curt Merriman

Q. Is there an opportunity for me to provide remote patient monitoring? 

A.The HME industry has always had innovators and care providers interested in providing health care services that improve a patient’s quality of life in their homes. At the same time, payers continuously ratchet the fee schedules downward. Remote physiological monitoring can be a game changer. 

While not officially recognized by CMS as telehealth, RPM does have four primary CPT codes (99453m 99454, 99457 and 99458) and reimbursement to allow for adherence and compliance measures to improve care in the home. Biometric sensors (usually with Bluetooth technology) provide physiologic data taken from the patient. This data is sent to a cloud-based dashboard to be monitored for early changes. These changes can indicate non-adherence to therapy or provide clinical signs and symptoms of a health risk or exacerbation. 

RPM is typically billed and managed through a provider/physician clinic and may utilize Qualified Healthcare Providers (QHCPs) to perform the monitoring and direct communication with the patient, with escalation to the provider as needed. This service can be outsourced as a contracted extension of the physician’s practice. Respiratory therapists and other health care providers meet the definition of a QHCP. 

Companies such as Verustat offer RPM services in the HME industry. Some interesting findings from various sources: 90% of patients want a digital health connection with their doctor; RPM has been shown to improve patient satisfaction; and RPM reduces emergency visits, improves patient health and reduces hospital admissions. 

RPM of data allows for another opportunity for outsourcing resources. Many clinics that implement RPM do not have the staff bandwidth to take on the extra time required for monitoring and the required monthly communication with the patient.  

Curt Merriman is chief sales officer for rtNow. Reach him at curt@rtNow.net. 

Our very own Curt Merriman was asked to prepare a 4-part article for HME News “Smart Talk” column. We happily are reprinting it here.

Curt Merriman

Updated 11:47 AM CDT, Tue June 8, 2021

Q. How can I grow my home ventilation program? 

A. In part 1 of this series, I talked about “raising some eyebrows in a good way.” The topic was remote PAP setups. Let’s continue with remote ventilator follow-ups. The RT labor shortage has hit HME companies particularly hard, so looking “outside the box” for solutions is certainly a good idea. 

Removing barriers to success is essential for providing telehealth in the home setting. This is important whether you are using your RT staff to perform the remote visits or seeking outside assistance. Telehealth can provide the HME company with the tools necessary to remotely provide ongoing follow-ups with non-invasive and invasive ventilator care. I suggest using a simple video chat solution that is HIPAA-compliant without having to download an app or having patient usernames, passwords etc.  

Speaking of video-chat, the ability to visualize the customer’s equipment and environment is beneficial when performing routine follow-up on the ventilation services you are providing. The adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes to mind. Assessing and troubleshooting is much easier when you don’t have to rely on verbal descriptions.  

Outsourcing a ventilation follow-up process allows for your protocols to be followed without having to worry about finding and hiring RTs. Let your staff take care of other business and allow for convenient virtual visits for routing follow-ups. Your customers and caregivers may find the remote visits less intrusive, simpler and easier to schedule. 

While the pandemic has given us a lot of problems, it has also provided opportunities. Growing your ventilation program fearlessly is now possible with tele-respiratory therapists and technology. 

Curt Merriman is Chief Sales Officer for rtNOW. Reach him at curt@rtNOW.net.

Our very own Curt Merriman was asked to prepare a 4-part article for HME News “Smart Talk” column. We happily are reprinting it here.

TELEHEALTH: BREAK HME PARADIGMS 

Smart Talk

Curt Merriman

Updated 10:27 AM CDT, Wed May 12, 2021

Q. What is driving the telehealth landscape? 

A. The next four articles are going to raise some eyebrows – in a good way! For the last six years, I have been involved in empowering respiratory care in new and exciting ways, and I will paint a picture of the emerging HME/telerespiratory landscape. 

Let’s start with remote PAP set ups.   

Along came a public health emergency: COVID-19. This took the HME industry into the uncharted territory of providing remote services to customers/patients in the home. Customers didn’t want anyone entering their homes; clinicians were not excited to enter homes.  

The federal government:

• Lifted HIPAA rules to allow for any video chat platform to be used;  

• Expanded telehealth to include a telephonic connection; 

• Included the customer’s home as a telehealth place of origin; and 

• Expanded telehealth provider definitions. 

HME providers scrambled to insert themselves into telehealth and struggled with technology for their customers and their staff learned on the fly, as well.  

Other challenges occurred for the HME provider. There was already an RT shortage, and HME RTs transitioning to acute care only exacerbated the short supply. 

The HME industry and its RTs are used to change and challenges in health care. The industry is rising to the challenge with more and more tele-respiratory remote PAP set ups being performed each and every day. The RT shortage did not go away but being able to fearlessly scale your businesses is now possible. Outsourcing remote PAP set ups is a growing reality.  

Outsourcing services can play an essential role in an organization. Inserting outsourced resources when and where needed without having to recruit staff and worry about business volume changes can be a “pressure relief valve” for any business. 

Curt Merriman is Chief Sales Officer for rtNOW. Reach him at curt@rtNOW.net. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chuck Stadler Jr. – rtNOW Phone: (989) 284-0198 Email: chuck@rtnow.net

rtNOW Announces New “HME Services” Line

Telerespiratory Line includes Remote PAP Setup, Remote PAP Adherence, and Remote Vent Follow-Up

FRANKENMUTH, MI, April 1, 2021 – Telerespiratory company rtNOW announced today a new line of services aimed at the HME market, collectively known as “rtNOW HME Services”.  These services include Remote PAP Setup, Remote PAP Adherence, Remote Vent Follow-Up, and their previous HME On-Call service.  

“We are excited to empower HME companies with these new service lines.  They will provide a pressure-relief valve for HME companies and their respiratory therapists during the current and growing RT shortage.  Our HME Services line will allow companies to scale fearlessly, taking care of a costly bottleneck that would otherwise be an obstacle,” said Chuck Stadler, Jr., President and CEO of rtNOW.

The service line includes flexible price-per-visit options, and includes rtNOW staff using their proprietary telehealth software, CoreLink, to establish a secure HIPPA compliant video connection.  

“Our executive leadership includes a respiratory therapist with HME experience.  Our eyes have been on the HME space for years, and we are now able to bring a cost-effective, per-visit model to HME companies that want to be a hero to their staff respiratory therapists while preventing ‘RT Burnout’.  Our company’s purpose is to empower respiratory care, and we are excited to drive healthcare forward with innovative services for HME providers.”  

rtNOW is a telerespiratory staffing company based in Frankenmuth, Michigan that services clients nationwide.  It has unique access to experienced, licensed, respiratory therapists, and is known as a pioneer in telerespiratory care.  

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For additional information about rtNOW please visit www.rtnow.net or contact Chuck Stadler at chuck@rtnow.net

When we introduced rtNOW to the world in 2016, the concept of telehealth (let alone telerespiratory care) was foreign to many clinicians.  It goes without saying that Covid-19 has accelerated telehealth adoption dramatically. As the first RT-owned telerespiratory solution in the world, we were positioned during the pandemic to capture first-hand accounts of what respiratory care looks like to our rtNOW agents during the public health crisis.  It is with great joy that we present to you three testimonials from our telerespiratory therapists on how they positively affected the healthcare outcomes of their patients.  These are taken, with only minor edits, directly from our rtNOW agents.

Ann

I just very recently had an encounter with a patient who had come in through one of our facilities emergency rooms and he was in a great deal of distress and putting the nurses into a great deal of distress as well.  It gave me an opportunity to connect with the doctor on the case, and it was enough to interact with them and for me to see very quickly that this gentleman was going to deteriorate faster than they were going to be able to provide him non-invasive ventilation (which was what they were hoping for).  They forgot about me for a second but I piped back up and came back in as they were struggling to get this gentleman situated. I was able to connect with the doctor at that point and expressed that I felt the patient was in too much distress and he really required immediate intubation.   That was the choice that they made.  It just so happened I had to reconnect with them… and it turns out that was the way to go.  That gentleman was stable enough that they were then able to ship him to a larger care facility that was able to take care of him.   

Chris

The other day I helped ween a Covid patient back down to room air, and they were on their way out the door home.  Just a week or week and a half earlier I had to help the same patient with life-saving ventilator ventilation support. 

Angela

This morning I received a call from (hospital name redacted) from a frantic MD and RN with a patient SOB and a CO2 greater than 100 on abg. Pt was also COVID positive. Patient Came in after satting in the 70s all night according to patient. We intubated, x-rayed, mechanically vented, and sedated until air flight arrived 18 minutes later to transfer to (city name redacted).  Was a great 40 minute call.

A video in a series introducing rtNOW telerespiratory therapists.