Using EOS for strategic annual planning in HME

Scott Dios
December 8, 2025
Business management

In the fast-evolving home medical equipment (HME) industry, annual business planning is more than a routine, it’s a strategic necessity.

With changing reimbursement models, increasing patient expectations, and operational complexity, HME leaders must approach planning with clarity and discipline. The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) offers a practical framework to help businesses set a clear vision, gain traction, and build a healthy, scalable organization.

In this blog, we explore how EOS works and what it can do for your HME business.

Why EOS works for HME
My personal experience with EOS
How Brightree supports EOS
A practical framework for HME

Why EOS works for HME

EOS is a business management system designed to help leadership teams clarify their vision, instill accountability, and foster a strong culture. For HME businesses, which often juggle clinical, operational, and regulatory demands, EOS simplifies decision-making and drives execution.

EOS focuses on six key components:

Vision: Define where you’re going and how you’ll get there.
People: Ensure the right people are in the right seats.
Data: Manage the business through objective metrics.
Issues: Identify and solve problems quickly.
Process: Systematize operations for consistency and scalability.
Traction: Execute with discipline and accountability.

What EOS did for my business

As a former business owner, I always found annual strategic planning to be a daunting yet essential task. It wasn’t just about hitting short-term goals, it was about setting a long-term direction and aligning the team.

Making time to work on the business, pulling leaders away from their day-to-day responsibilities, and even closing the doors for a few days felt risky. That changed when I discovered the EOS framework introduced by Gino Wickman in his book Traction.

These are the six key steps of EOS:

Step 1: Clarify your vision

Annual planning starts with the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO). This two-page document helps your leadership team align on:

Core values and focus
10-year target and 3-year picture
1-year goals and quarterly rocks
Key issues and marketing strategy

For HME businesses, this might include goals like expanding into new markets, improving DME delivery times, or increasing referral conversion rates.

Step 2: Evaluate your team

Use the People Analyzer to assess whether team members align with your core values and are in the right roles. Ask:

Do they get the role?
Do they want the role?
Do they have the capacity to do the role?

This clarity helps build a team that can execute your vision effectively.

Step 3: Set SMART goals

Your one-year plan should include SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). For example:

Reduce claim denials by 20%
Launch a new CPAP resupply program by Q2
Improve patient satisfaction scores by 15%

Each goal should be owned by a leader and tracked weekly.

Step 4: Solve issues with IDS

The Issues List helps surface and solve problems that could derail your plan. Use the IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) method to tackle each issue. Common HME challenges might include:

Delays in insurance verification
Inconsistent documentation from referral sources
Inventory visibility gaps

Solving these issues quickly keeps your team focused and agile.

Step 5: Systematize with core processes

EOS encourages documenting your core processes, from patient intake to equipment delivery to billing. These should be:

Simple
Visual
Followed by all

Standardizing processes reduces errors, improves compliance, and enhances patient satisfaction.

Step 6: Build traction with Quarterly Rocks

Break annual goals into Quarterly Rocks, the three to seven most important priorities for the next 90 days. Examples:

Implement new billing software
Train staff on updated oxygen protocols
Conduct referral partner satisfaction survey

Hold weekly Level 10 Meetings to track progress, review scorecards, and solve issues. This rhythm builds accountability and momentum.

How Brightree supports EOS execution

While EOS provides the framework, execution often depends on having the right tools. Brightree is purpose-built for HME businesses and supports several EOS components:

Data: Brightree’s dashboards and reporting tools provide real-time visibility into KPIs, helping teams manage by metrics. Using Data more intelligently to increase productivity and better serve your patients while reducing costs is essentials for a successful business and better patient care.
Analytics: Organizations that embrace analytics are twice as likely to outperform their peers. Using our analytics solutions, you can quantify your performance against industry trends, find opportunities to grow your business, and act on real information to get more revenue coming in.
Process: Automated workflows for intake, documentation, billing, and inventory help standardize operations and reduce manual errors.
Issues: Brightree’s audit trails and alerts help identify bottlenecks and compliance risks quickly.
Traction: Integration with task management and scheduling tools helps teams stay on track with Rocks and weekly priorities.
Documentation: When dealing with incomplete and missing documentation, your reimbursement can take a real hit. Our documentation solutions capture, share, manage, and store all information electronically within the Brightree platform. The result is referral documentation that’s efficient and secure.
Professional services: Through training sessions, consulting, in-person or virtual courses, and data, our professional services can help you run more efficiently. By working with our experts to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency, you’re able to review and improve your overall business and start scaling.
Implementation: Having a knowledgeable implementation team and program helps to achieve more items per order, faster turnaround times, happier patients, and more satisfied team members.

By aligning Brightree’s capabilities with EOS principles, HME businesses can streamline execution, improve transparency, and accelerate growth.

A practical framework for HME

Annual planning is about creating alignment, solving problems, and building a culture of execution. EOS gives HME businesses a practical framework to do just that. And with tools like Brightree supporting the operational backbone, leaders can focus on strategy, leadership, and growth.

Request a demo today for a closer look at Brightree.

See what Brightree can do for you

Scott Dios

Scott has more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles across the health tech, fin tech, and various cross industries. Before joining Brightree as the Head of Sales, he was the Vice President of Sales at Stanley Black and Decker, Vice President of Enterprises at Fidelity Investment’s eMoney, and successfully exited his own business software and services company at Optima Technologies.