AeroCare’s Griggs on next steps: Integration, improvement 

ORLANDO, Fla. - Steve Griggs has been in the HME industry since 1988, first serving as president of Rotech, then launching AeroCare in 2000. Two decades on, he has grown that business to 300 locations and has sold it to AdaptHealth for about $2 billion. 

Griggs credits the company’s employees and its willingness to embrace technology for his success. 

“Any company that has success has to have great employees and, fortunately, over the years we’ve been able to attract and keep fantastic employees,” he said.

“Reimbursement cuts come and it’s tough, but that’s when you have to double down on employees and technology.” 

Griggs, who will serve as co-CEO of AdaptHealth alongside Luke McGee, spoke with HME News recently about the importance of embracing technology and why “everybody wants it.”  

HME News: Why sell now and why to AdaptHealth? 

Steve Griggs: We had a lot of different options, including whether to go public ourselves. Both companies have pursued a technology strategy. Luke and Josh (Parnes, president,) have put in a tremendous amount of time (for what they need) today and in the future. They’ve done the hard lifting, and we get the benefit of joining them and accessing those resources.  

HME: What are some immediate tasks on your to-do list? 

Griggs: The next steps are integrating the technology—taking the best of what they did and the best of what we did and combining that. Improving the 500-plus HME locations—that will be our task.  

HME: Do you think the HME industry is adopting technology at a more rapid pace? 

Griggs: There’s no question the business has changed significantly. It’s incredible what’s happened and it’s all around technology. The advances create efficiencies that allow us to take care of more patients. Patients, referrals, payers—everybody wants it. 

HME: The industry has weathered a turbulent few years. Is the future brighter? 

Griggs: We were poised even with the bidding program for a more reasonable and stable reimbursement system after the dramatic stuff in 2016 and before. With this delay of bidding until at least 2024, everybody now can concentrate on improving their business.  

HME: Your relationship with AdaptHealth grew through your participation in industry associations and meetings. Why is it so important to participate? 

Griggs: We are proud members of both AAH and VGM. I think everybody in the business should be participating in at least one, as well as their state organization, so they get their message out there and their voice heard that somebody is taking care of patients. We’ve certainly done it during the pandemic, but there are also natural disasters every year and the home care industry comes to the forefront and helps. Those stories need to get out.