Medline on Medpros: 'They are the experts'

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Medline officials thought about developing their own program to help providers become accredited. Then they got a better idea. They'd become the exclusive distributor of Medpros of America's turnkey accreditation program and they did just that in November. "They were much further along and are the experts," said Dave Jacobs, vice president of Medline's DME division. "There's a lot of information here, and it is very user friendly. We feel that if we can help people through the accreditation process, they are more likely to be more loyal to us." Medpros is the brainchild of Pam Seymour and includes 38 manuals that cover everything a provider needs to know to become accredited, including: human resources; administrative policy and procedures; annual evaluation and performance; and employee training. The company's currently translating the program into Spanish, said CFO Don Mock. "There are a lot of providers who don't have a clue about what to do but can't afford a consultant," said Seymour, who sold her company, Southeastern Medical Supply, in 2004. "This is a simple solution for them." Medpros comes in two versions. For $2,899, a provider receives a generic version of the manuals on a CD; they customize the documents with company information and print them out. For $4,999 Medpros will produce 38 customized manuals and mail them to the provider. Medpros provides phone and online support and free updates. "These books and manuals have really enlightened me as to what I'm required to do and need to do," said Gale Knowles, owner of Acme Medical Supply in Columbus, Ga., which opened for business in October. "I didn't know about in-service training. I didn't know about phone logs and other information. So for me, this is great." Medpros offers providers an opportunity to organize their policies and procedures in a nice neat package that can be consulted in a pinch--whether for an OIG, Medicare or accreditation surveyor, Seymour said. "A DME provider, whenever a surveyor walks in the door, their entire staff needs to be trained not to panic," she said. "If they want to see all the documentation on your corporate compliance plan, go to the cabinet, pull it out and show them."