Q&A: Randy Schluter
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed October 31, 2007
PARKER, Colo. -If providers want to dispel the myth that they drop ship home medical equipment and nothing more, they should invest in their delivery technicians, says Randy Schluter, president of DTCP/RenTrain, a healthcare business education and consulting firm. That means spending money on training and certification, and paying drivers respectable salaries. Here's what Schluter had to say about the key role drivers can play in keeping providers relevant in today's healthcare environment.
HME News: Have you administered more certification programs this year than last year?
Randy Schluter: We might be up a little because of national competitive bidding and accreditation. On average, we do about 30 certification programs a year. In the '90s, we used to average 40 or 50.
HME: Why the decline?
Schluter: There were more companies back then. Wallets are a little tighter now, too. Companies will send one delivery tech to our program so he can go back and make sure other techs meet the rules and regulations. They don't all necessarily take the test to become certified.
HME: How do you convince providers that investing in delivery technicians is a good idea, when they're trying to reduce deliveries?
Schluter: We tell providers that one good delivery tech is worth three bad ones. Delivery techs can help providers generate revenues if they know what they're doing. If a delivery tech is always on time and has good customer satisfaction ratings, he's worth more than $12 an hour.
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