Direct Supply looks to provide ‘real value’

MILWAUKEE – Direct Supply Brands is dedicating more resources to the HME market in a sign the company is “here for the long haul” and is looking to deepen its relationships with providers, says Nick Bush.  

“I’m excited,” said Nick Bush, director of business development. “The company wanted to make sure there was a role for us in HME, and not just in a time of need, and we’ve proven it.”  

Direct Supply has been a long-time player in the long-term care market but entered the HME market in 2022, becoming a corporate partner of AAHomecare and having Bush join the association’s board of directors.  

Amid the product shortages of the past few years, the company has made a name for itself by “bringing reliability to the supply chain,” Bush says, especially when it comes to oxygen concentrators, which is timely given the recent decision by Philips to exit that market in the U.S.  

“When it comes to partnering with factories manufacturing their high-quality and durable products, Direct Supply has a strong team with global capabilities,” he said. “We have longstanding relationships with factories in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia.”  

Now that its products have put the company on the map, Direct Supply is looking to take its relationships with providers to the next level by exploring how it can help them through innovation and technology, Bush says.  

“That’s going to be the real value for everyone,” he said. “That’s going to be the real game changer.”  

Direct Supply has an Innovation & Technology Center in Milwaukee – home to hundreds of engineers – where it hosts 1,000 visitors each year to discuss how the company can help them alleviate pain points. These discussions have been the genesis of products like a vital signs monitor that integrates with middleware to feed data into an electronic medical record and a Bluetooth-connected scale that’s embedded into the seat deck of a recliner.   

“We also want people to see that side of us,” he said. “We know there’s a technology play (for us in HME).”