Home Enteral Nutrition from the Provider’s Perspective

Home enteral nutrition (HEN) has been reviewed in this supplement as a clinical therapy; however, this paper provides a glimpse of an enteral provider’s per-spective. Companies that provide HEN must be knowl-edgeable in reimbursement to assure that they will be paid for the services delivered, have an adequate deliv-ery system, and be skilled in some level of clinical management. Yet, the company must provide all of these services cost effectively. This paper will provide information and examples from the provider’s perspec-tive. How is HEN provided in the United States today? It is estimated that most HEN is supplied by durable medical equipment (DME) companies. The DME com-pany will typically deliver a 1-month supply of formul