California Home Medical Equipment (CHME)

What California Home Medical Equipment (CHME) does

California Home Medical Equipment (CHME) is a privately held, full-service home medical equipment (HME) provider founded in May 2003 and headquartered in Foster City, California. The company delivers a comprehensive range of DME, custom rehabilitation mobility solutions, respiratory therapy equipment, oxygen supplies, enteral nutrition equipment, negative pressure wound therapy, and recurring medical supplies directly to patients' homes across the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding Northern California counties including San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and Santa Cruz. Its patient population spans individuals with complex mobility and respiratory conditions — including ALS, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and chronic respiratory disease — alongside health plan members served under capitated contracts.

The company's integrated product-and-service portfolio is delivered through its own delivery fleet and a multidisciplinary clinical staff that includes Assistive Technology Professionals for complex custom seating, on-staff respiratory therapists, a Licensed Vocational Nurse specializing in wound care, and Registered Dietitians for enteral therapy. Product categories span custom mobility and seating, power mobility, respiratory equipment (CPAP, BiPAP, ventilators, nebulizers), oxygen delivery systems, wound care supplies, enteral nutrition equipment, standard DME (hospital beds, walkers, lifts), and urological/ostomy/incontinence supplies. In 2023, CHME introduced two digital patient engagement tools — the Patient Hub by Brightree mobile application, which enables supply reordering, appointment scheduling, and secure staff messaging, and an SMS-based application providing real-time delivery timeframe notifications.

Revenue is generated through three primary channels: insurance-billed DME and supply sales to Medicare, Medi-Cal, and over 40 in-network private health plans; capitated per-member-per-month contracts with health plans including Alameda Alliance for Health, Community Health Center Network, and Mills Peninsula/Sutter Health Services for outpatient DME, respiratory, and custom rehab services; and recurring monthly medical supply resupply managed through proactive outbound patient calls. The company operates from a Foster City headquarters and a San Leandro distribution facility, supported by its own delivery fleet, consignment closets in partner medical facilities, and 24/7 on-call service infrastructure. Unique Investment Corporation made its initial private equity investment in CHME in 2007, and the company has remained under independent private ownership since founding.

Name

California Home Medical Equipment (CHME)

Legal name

CHME, Inc.

Website

https://chme.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

California Home Medical Equipment (CHME) is a privately held, full-service home medical equipment provider serving patients across the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, offering DME, custom mobility, respiratory therapy, and recurring medical supplies through capitated health plan contracts and direct fleet delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Foster City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Durable Medical Equipment Sales and Rental: CHME provides and bills for a full spectrum of DME including wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers, commodes, lifts, and other equipment. Revenue is generated through insurance billing (Medicare, Medi-Cal, private payers) and capitated contracts with health plans. Equipment is delivered, set up, and maintained by CHME's field technicians.
2. Respiratory Therapy and Equipment Services: CHME generates revenue from respiratory equipment (CPAPs, BiPAPs, ventilators, nebulizers) and associated therapy services including setup, follow-up visits, and ongoing compliance monitoring. Services include 24-hour on-call support and after-hours emergency response.
3. Custom Rehabilitation Equipment: Custom mobility and seating solutions including ultra-light manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs with powered seating, custom seating systems, and pediatric mobility equipment. Provided in conjunction with Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs) through clinical assessment processes.
4. Medical Supplies (Resupply): Recurring supply delivery for urological, ostomy, wound care, and incontinence products, enteral nutrition, and negative pressure wound therapy dressings. Monthly proactive patient calls to manage resupply quantities, with products shipped directly from manufacturers.
5. Capitated DME Services: Fixed per-capita payments from contracted health plans (Alameda Alliance for Health, CHCN, Mills Peninsula/Sutter) for providing outpatient DME, respiratory, custom rehab, and medical supply services to eligible members. CHME manages all equipment provisioning under the capitation model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

California Home Medical Equipment is a CHAPS-accredited home medical equipment (HME) provider that sells and rents durable medical equipment — including wheelchairs, hospital beds, oxygen equipment, CPAPs, ventilators, and custom mobility/seating — to patients across Northern California, with billing handled through Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, and capitated managed-care contracts. The company operates the Brightree Patient Hub mobile application to support patient ordering and account visibility.

Product overview

California Home Medical Equipment (CHME) is a full-service home medical equipment (HME) company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and clinical services. The core product categories include Custom Mobility and Seating (wheelchairs, custom seating systems), Power Mobility Equipment (scooters, power wheelchairs), Respiratory Equipment (CPAPs, BiPAPs, ventilators, nebulizers), Oxygen Supplies (concentrators, cylinders, cannulas), Negative Pressure Supplies (wound vac supplies), Enteral Nutrition Equipment (feeding pumps, formula), Durable Medical Equipment (hospital beds, walkers, commodes), and Urological/Ostomy/Wound Care/Incontinence Supplies. These products are supported by integrated clinical services including Rehab Support, Respiratory Therapy, Oxygen Delivery, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, and Nutrition Services. CHME recently introduced Patient Hub by Brightree as a digital patient engagement module enabling supply reordering, secure messaging, and appointment scheduling. The company operates as a single-platform HME provider with fleet-based delivery, serving patients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wheelchairs Manual and power wheelchairs sold and rented to Northern California patients for in-home mobility, billed through Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, and capitated health-plan contracts.
• Hospital beds Home hospital beds sold and rented to patients recovering at home or managing chronic conditions, with reimbursement handled through Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, and capitated plans.
• Oxygen equipment Home oxygen therapy equipment and supplies sold and rented to patients with respiratory needs, billed through Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, and capitated health-plan contracts.
• CPAPs Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices sold and rented to patients with sleep apnea, with coverage processed through Medicare, Medi-Cal, private insurance, and capitated health plans.
• Ventilators Home ventilators and related supplies sold and rented to patients requiring invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation at home, reimbursed through payer contracts.
• Custom mobility and seating solutions Custom-configured mobility and seating equipment tailored to individual patient needs, complementing standard wheelchairs and other DME offerings.
• Patient Hub by Brightree Mobile patient-engagement application that gives CHME patients and case managers visibility into home medical equipment orders, deliveries, and account information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour on-call service availability with designated on-call driver for after-hours and overnight service calls
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AdaptHealth: AdaptHealth is a national, vertically integrated provider of home medical equipment, sleep (CPAP), respiratory, diabetic supplies and HME. Operates in California with a comparable product breadth to CHME and pursues capitated payer relationships similar to CHME's health plan contracts.
• Byram Healthcare: Byram Healthcare is a national distributor of urological, ostomy, wound care, incontinence and enteral nutrition supplies with direct-to-patient home delivery. Directly comparable to CHME's medical supplies resupply line on product categories, insurance-billed distribution model and recurring resupply cadence.
• Lincare: Lincare is a major national provider of respiratory therapy, home oxygen, sleep apnea treatment and DME. Overlaps directly with CHME's respiratory therapy, oxygen delivery and CPAP/BiPAP service lines, and is a competitor for the same capitated and fee-for-service payer contracts in California.
• National Seating & Mobility (NSM): NSM is one of the largest U.S. complex rehab equipment providers, specializing in custom wheelchairs, seating systems and adaptive mobility equipment delivered via ATP-led clinical assessments. Directly comparable to CHME's Rehab Support service line on products, ATP-driven clinical model, and payer mix.
• Rotech Healthcare: Rotech is a national home respiratory and medical equipment company offering oxygen, ventilators, CPAP/BiPAP, nebulizers, wound care supplies and DME. Directly comparable to CHME on respiratory core offerings and on a regional-branch operating model.
• Apria Healthcare: Apria is a large national home medical equipment and respiratory therapy provider offering CPAP/BiPAP, oxygen, ventilators, sleep therapy and home respiratory services. Apria competes head-to-head with CHME on respiratory equipment, oxygen delivery and core DME within the Northern California market, and shares the same Medicare/Medi-Cal payer base.
• Shield Healthcare: Shield Healthcare is a California-based home medical supply company offering urological, ostomy, wound care, incontinence, enteral nutrition and select DME products delivered directly to patients. Comparable to CHME on the medical supplies resupply revenue stream, the California regional footprint and the insurance-billed distribution model.
• SuperCare Health: SuperCare Health is a California-based respiratory and home medical equipment company specializing in oxygen therapy, ventilators, nebulizers and complex respiratory care. Same California geography, overlapping respiratory/wound-care service lines and same Medicare/Medi-Cal payer mix make it a direct regional competitor.
• Numotion: Numotion is a leading national provider of complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) including custom power and manual wheelchairs, seating and mobility solutions. CHME's ATP-led custom rehab division serves a substantially overlapping patient population (ALS, MS, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries) and competes for the same payer-reimbursed complex rehab referrals.

Others

• WellSky (Brightree): WellSky owns Brightree, the HME/DME software platform that powers CHME's Patient Hub mobile app and back-office workflows. Not a competitor but an enabling technology partner; included because Brightree's roadmap and pricing materially shape CHME's digital patient engagement and operational efficiency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Home Medical Equipment (CHME)