To better serve the evolving business information needs of HME providers, trade magazine publishing company 1105 Media has launched HME Business magazine and its accompanying website out of the preexisting publication Home Health Products News, a product tabloid.

“The HME landscape is a lot different than it was in 1992, when we launched Home Health Products” says Publisher Karen Covalo. “There was no competitive bidding then, no Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) accreditation requirement, no 64 power mobility codes, no oxygen rental cap. Bottom line: we needed to change in the same way our readers and industry are changing.”

Instead of devoting its coverage to product news, HME Business will also provide the context on issues such as funding, services and operations, that HME providers need to gain and maintain a competitive edge in a changing marketplace; identify and leverage new opportunities; and sidestep any obstacles in an evolving landscape, according to incoming Editor, David Kopf, who joined the publication in December, 2007. (Learn more about Kopf.)

Started in 1992, Home Health Products concentrated its coverage on product news, but now that funding, services and operations have become so central to the business of providing home medical equipment, it was clear that the publication needed to evolve.

“Products only make up so much of a providers revenue and cost,” Kopf explains. “HME Business has a duty to ensure it provides the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ behind important industry developments, as well as the ‘who’ and the ‘what’ Home Health Products traditionally provided. This is the right thing to do for the readers, and I’m extremely excited to be a part of this publication and the industry.”

HME Business will also continue producing the weekly e-Souce email newsletter service, as well. Kopf can be reached at dkopf@hmemediagroup.com.