CaseFlow auto-orders DME the moment a case is scheduled, chases vendor confirmation, texts the patient when it ships, and tracks returns — all without a single fax.
The real cost of DME chaos
1 in 8
Ortho discharges delayed
Due to missing or unconfirmed DME at day of surgery
$850
Avg. OR minute cost
A 20-min delay searching for a missing CPM costs $17K in OR time
4 hrs
Staff time saved weekly
Eliminated vendor phone calls and fax follow-ups per practice
From case scheduling to return tracking — fully automated, no coordinator touchpoints required.
When you schedule a TKA, ACL repair, or spinal fusion, CaseFlow maps the CPT code to the standard DME kit and auto-creates purchase orders. TKA → CPM + walker + cold therapy. ACL → hinged brace + crutches. Spine fusion → TLSO + raised toilet seat.
Vendor receives an email PO with a one-click confirmation portal. No response at T-7d? SMS nudge. Still silent at T-3d? Escalation text. T-24h before surgery with no confirmation? Red-alert banner on the coordinator dashboard + escalation email to the practice manager. Vendors can reply YES to confirm — no login required.
T-72h pre-surgery: patient receives a bilingual SMS. "Your crutches + cold therapy unit should arrive by [date]. Reply YES once received." If no YES by T-24h, a hard alert fires on the surgeon dashboard so staff can intervene before the morning of surgery.
Items that need fitting — CAM boot, hinged knee brace, TLSO — trigger a bilingual training video link via SMS at T-7d. Completion feeds the Same-Day Readiness Engine: a patient who hasn't watched their fitting video is deprioritized in the waitlist blast when a slot opens. Completion tracked automatically.
Rental items (CPM, cold therapy units) get automated return reminders at 14, 21, and 28 days post-surgery. The operator dashboard surfaces every overdue return with dollar value — practices get charged for lost equipment, so this directly protects your margin. Average recovery: $400–800/unit saved per quarter.
The DME kanban surfaces every order by status, flags at-risk cases in red, and includes a vendor scorecard so you know which vendors need replacing.
24
Active Orders
91%
On-Time Rate
3
At Risk (≤3d)
$2,400
Returns Due
Ordered 6
CPM Machine
J. Smith · TKA · Jul 15
Hinged Knee Brace
T. Park · ACL · Jul 16
PO Sent 5
CAM Boot
M. Jones · ORIF · Jul 14
Confirmed 7
Cold Therapy Unit
A. Chen · TKA · Jul 13
Ready 3
Walker
R. Davis · THR · Jul 12
Delivered 3
TLSO Brace
B. Wilson · Fusion · Jul 8
✓ ConfirmedEvery item ships with HCPCS codes, insurance allowable rates, and prior auth flags. Billing-queue export to your RCM system included.
Pre-loaded vendors: Breg · DonJoy · Ossur · Aspen · Bledsoe · ProCare · Trulife · 3-Point Products
Unconfirmed DME within 72h drops the patient's readiness score and bumps waitlist blast priority so the slot fills before it empties.
DME arrival delays tag to the FCOTS root-cause log automatically — so your block utilization report shows exact equipment-attributed delay minutes.
Every morning, the 7am Practice Manager Brief shows tomorrow's unconfirmed DME orders with vendor contact info — one click to escalate.
The DME Coordination Engine is available on all CaseFlow plans. It ships as part of the ortho/spine module — no separate setup.
Also on: Joint Replacement · Sports Medicine · Spine