Building Sustainable and High-Performing Orthopedic DME Programs [AAOE DME FULL 4 part series]
Description

DME has quietly become one of the highest-value ancillary lines a private orthopedic practice can run, when it's built right. Done poorly, it's a compliance headache and an underused closet of braces. Done well, it improves patient access, strengthens provider workflows, and drives real revenue growth. 

This four-part series walks you through the full lifecycle of a high-performing DME program: build it, measure it, expand it, scale it. Alek Johnson, MHA, leads the series, drawing on his experience running multi-site DME operations across 7 clinics and 12 ASCs at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. 

This isn't a vendor pitch. Each session opens with a focused 15 to 20 minute presentation grounded in Alek's real-world experience. Then the cameras come on for roughly 30 minutes of true peer roundtable, your questions and your practice's specifics, worked through in real time with someone who has actually run the program you're trying to build. 

Whether you're standing up your first DME program or trying to get more out of the one you already have, this series gives you a practical playbook and a room full of peers facing the exact same challenges. 

This bundle includes all four sessions. Register once and you're automatically enrolled in the complete series. Free for AAOE members; $200 for nonmembers ($50 per session if purchased individually). Individual sessions are also available separately in the Learning Center. 

This series is made possible with the support of Select Ortho. 

The Series 

  • Session 1 (Build): Building a Sustainable and Patient-Centered DME Program. Aug 19, 2026, 12:00 PM ET
  • Session 2 (Measure): Measuring Success: KPIs, Reimbursement, and Financial Performance in Orthopedic DME Programs. Sep 16, 2026, 2:00 PM ET
  • Session 3 (Expand): Expanding the Orthopedic DME Portfolio: Beyond Traditional Bracing. Oct 22, 2026, 3:00 PM ET
  • Session 4 (Scale): From Concept to Scale: Lessons from Building a Multi-Site Orthopedic DME Program. Nov 12, 2026, 2:00 PM ET 
 
Speaker

Alek Johnson, MHA
Director of Cast Room & Durable Medical Equipment at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush

Alek Johnson is Director of Cast Room & Durable Medical Equipment at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, based in Chicago, IL, where he leads multi-site DME operations across 7 clinic locations and 12 ASCs. He oversees programs including bracing, biologics, cold therapy, and injection workflows, with a focus on scalable growth, compliance, and patient experience. Alek has driven significant revenue expansion through standardized workflows and strategic vendor partnerships. He serves as a Senior Advisor within the Academic Orthopaedic Consortium (AOC) DME Leadership Group and collaborates with peers and industry partners to advance national best practices in DME.

Summary
Location:
Online Meeting
Date / Time:
Aug 19, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET
Sep 16, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Oct 22, 2026 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET
Nov 12, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Cost:
Member: $0.00
Non-Member: $200.00
Credit Offered:
No Credit Offered
Contains:
Powered By