Archive: October 2006

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - With six more Arcadia Home Medical Supply Centers opening in Wal-Marts, the store-within-a-store concept continues evolving, but reviews are mixed. The company announced Sept. 26 it would open stores in Bradenton, Hialeah, Boynton Beach and Pompano Beach, Fla.; Midland, Texas; and Albuquerque, N.M. There are currently 85 HMEs located in Wal-Mart Supercenters around the country, said concept mastermind Kim Mairs, president of Boston-based Companion Health Services, which launched...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In its drive to "go after eBay" and establish itself as the Web site for used, new and excess HME inventory, MEDmarketplace.com hired 28 sales reps who hit the streets last month to show providers how they can mine the Internet for cash. "We're really looking to get dealers additional business," said President Vinnie Baratta. "The idea is that there are buyers for stuff that is sitting around, and the only way to sell it is to list it on a popular site. "In today's world,...

Thanks to an aging demographic, the retail potential for incontinence and skin care product sales has grown at a steady rate, say vendors serving the marketplace. With the right approach, they contend, HME providers are primed to capture a major portion of that business, even against some stiff competition. With the oldest baby boomers now turning 60, incontinence is becoming an issue not only for them but also for the huge generational swell following close behind. Market analysts expect the demand...

ATLANTA - While overall attendance declined at Medtrade in September, the show's day-long clinical and reimbursement workshops attracted an unprecedented number of attendees, education officials said. Medtrade's Show Director Art Ellis described attendance as off "slightly" from last year. Educational seminars, however, reported a 10% increase in attendees. Given the uncertainty troubling the industry, it's not surprising that more providers than usual opted to save money and bypass Medtrade, Ellis...

LUBBOCK, Texas - The parties involved in a new telemedicine equipment distribution agreement are heralding it as a touchstone moment for the HME industry. Representatives from Lubbock, Texas-based MED Group and Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Cybernet Medical confirmed their partnership at Medtrade in September. Under the new pact, MED Group members will have the opportunity to become sales and distribution agents for Cybernet's new MedStar telemonitoring device. Cybernet fashioned MedStar after its NASA...

I think I heard the camel's back break last month; at least I hope I did. Notice of the break came in the form of a long e-mail I received from Steve Landau, an HME provider in New York City. I'll stop short of saying that Landau speaks for most providers, but I think he speaks for many. The question is: Does he speak for you? Landau's e-mail reminded me, to mix metaphors, of the anchorman in the movie "Network" who proclaimed: "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." CMS's latest sally...

In the October HME NewsPoll, many providers expressed multiple reasons for not belonging to AAHomecare (See story page 23). I wish I could sit down with all these providers and discuss their concerns. Of course, that's impossible. But as a provider and AAHomecare's new membership committee chair, I feel compelled to offer some response. Most importantly, I want to stress that AAHomecare is here for you, the HME provider. I know you've heard this before, but it's true: An association is only as strong...

GREENVILLE, Ky. - Along with medical supplies, customers of James Medical might find themselves receiving a delivery of home-grown tomatoes, corn and onions. The veggie bonus bounty is from the personal garden of service tech Willard Bright, who starts each day tending his acre-and-a-half patch. Bringing produce to shut-ins is no big deal to Bright, who said he's always shared with family and neighbors but realized others would enjoy his fresh vegetables just as much.

After hearing that some providers are receiving fewer visits and phone calls from manufacturer sales representatives, HME News called several manufacturers to get a response. While some companies declined to discuss their policies, Lou Slangen, Invacare's senior vice president of global market development, had this to say. HME News: Does Invacare have the same number of feet on the ground? Lou Slangen: Fundamentally, yes. Even with all the participants in the home health arena being under reimbursement...

With reimbursement cuts coming fast and furious, providers accustomed to referral-based business have begun to see the value in cash sales. A large crowd listened attentively to Velma Goertzen's September Medtrade seminar covering the nuts and bolts of a successful retail operation--everything from slat walls to retail-oriented advertising. The message seems to be getting through, said Goertzen, general manager of Hutchinson, Kan.-based Health E-Quip. "They were thinking about what products were...