Tag: Medtrade 2016

ATLANTA - Matt Mellott has been to Medtrade before, as an HME provider. But this year, he's at the show as the new CEO of Brightree and as the keynote speaker for the company's pre-Medtrade Brightree Summit. Here's what Mellott, formerly president of MedBridge Healthcare, had to say about how facilitating fluid communication with referral sources is the key to the company's and providers' future.HME News: Why is being a former provider a valuable experience to have as the leader of a software company?Matt...

ATLANTA - Despite the challenges in the HME industry, now is not the time to overlook best practices related to staffing, said a panel of top providers at Medtrade in November.Mike Bailey said a key to his company's success is spending time not only on external customers but also internal customers.“We're always asking ourselves, 'What do we do to surprise and delight (our employees)?'” said Bailey, CEO of Handi Medical Supply in St. Paul, Minn., one of four panelists for a session titled...

Topricin BioMedical took first place with its MyPainAway Fibro Cream at the 2016 biannual Innovative HME Retail Product Awards at Medtrade.An odorless, greaseless cream, MyPainAway is a soothing combination of natural biomedicines, which rapidly relieve Fibromyalgia pain while helping the body heal.“In terms of retail—we're new to the industry but we've worked with doctors and pharmacists forever—our entire retail process is set up to make you profitable,” said Lou Paradise,...

ATLANTA - Social media is changing the way companies market their products, Keri Lauderdale Olson told an audience in Atlanta during her Medtrade session, “How to Create Demand for a New Product with Social Media.She would know.In April, her company, Mobility Designed, garnered more than 45 million views of a video featuring their patent-pending M+D Crutch after Tech Insider, a tech offshoot of Business Insider website, picked it up.“We had a video on our website and our Facebook page...

As health insurance costs continue to skyrocket, HME providers are finding themselves weighing rising premiums for themselves against high-deductible healthcare plans for their employees.“We just renewed our plan and we had a slight increase in premiums, but no change in benefits,” said Wayne Slavitt, founder and CEO of Mob�l in Long Beach, Calif.Dan Afrasiabi, president of Anchorage, Alaska-based Geneva Woods, was facing a $600,000 increase in premium payments in 2017. Instead, the company...

ATLANTA - Two women took home prestigious awards at Medtrade this year.Dr. Kirsten Davin, owner and president of Precision Seating Solutions, was awarded the inaugural HME Woman of the Year Award from the VGM Group at AAHomecare's Washington Legislative Update on Tuesday morning. The award honors a woman who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to both her company and the HME industry.Davin's long list of accomplishments includes founding Precision Seating Solutions,...

I touched down in Atlanta Sunday afternoon. Helloooo summertime temps. (I had to break down and commit to turning up the thermostat at home last week so the warm weather was most welcome). Downtown Atlanta was crazy with tailgate parties and people walking around with large cheese wedges on their heads. Apparently, there was some sort of football game happening? Just kidding. Even I figured out it was the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons—Jay Witter, I hope whoever you were rooting...

Booth 811 - During Medtrade 2016, pull into the Drive DeVilbiss booth and park for a while. It could turn out to be a valuable learning experience.The Port Washington, N.Y.-based manufacturer wants to establish strategic business relationships and share its considerable expertise with providers to help boost their success, says Chief Marketing Officer Ed Link.The key message to Medtrade attendees: “Drive DeVilbiss is more than a supplier—we're a partner,” says Link. “It begins...

When the winner of VGM's inaugural HME Woman of the Year Award is announced on Tuesday, Nov. 1, a longtime oversight will finally be corrected.“The time to grant recognition to females is past due,” said Christa Miehe, president of Waterloo, Iowa-based VGM's Essentially Women division. “Thousands of women play significant roles in the HME industry each day by positively impacting their organizations, patients and communities. Women by nature are less likely to raise their hand...

ATLANTA - Within the HME industry, retail success isn't a matter of luck, but of having a smart marketing strategy, says Medtrade speaker Timothy Robinson, director of digital media for Golden Technologies.No longer can you simply worry about product, price, and a few promotions, he said.In “Modern Retail Marketing: How to Get Found Online and Sell More in Store!,” Robinson will show attendees what they need to do to create and execute an effective marketing strategy.HME News: What are...