CCS Medical CTO Richard Mackey on AI, Data, and the Future of DME in Chronic Care Management

On the Claim to Fame DME podcast, hosts Alex and Wayne interview Richard Mackey, CTO of CCS Medical, a 30+ year company evolving from traditional DME into chronic care management, especially for diabetes. Mackie describes how AI and analytics can digitize patient interactions, connect fragmented systems, and deliver more personalized, multi-channel experiences across portals, texts, emails, and live conversations. He explains CCS’s expansion beyond shipping supplies to providing coaching and predictive analytics, including identifying CGM users at risk of discontinuation (noting up to 40% struggle to stay on therapy). Mackie discusses changing patient expectations, emphasizing increased comfort with digital tools among older adults, and outlines AI’s real value in conversational documentation and workflow efficiency while keeping humans in the loop and clinicians central. He highlights adoption success factors such as integrated workflows, organizational change management, and regulatory compliance.