Medtrade Show Daily

ATLANTA – Finding new products, booking new business and making new connections was back in full swing at Medtrade East. “With the exhibitors and the attendees we have here, people are ready to get back to normal,” said Show Director York Schwab. “I think we’ve shown there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction.” The newly rebranded Medtrade East at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta kicked off on Monday with a full day of educational sessions,...

ATLANTA – There’s an increasing amount of pressure on CMS to finalize a DMEPOS proposed rule that would adjust payment rates for HME, AAHomecare’s Tom Ryan said in an update at Medtrade East on Tuesday morning. A letter asking CMS to act on the rule, published a year ago, garnered 95 signatures last week from members of the House of Representatives, including champions on the influential Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees. “That’s in the hands of...

ATLANTA - When it comes to e-commerce, there are plenty of pitfalls for providers to fall into, including “set it and forget it” websites. HME News spoke to Medtrade East speakers, VGM’s Cassi Price, director of marketing and sales, and Lindy Tentinger, president, about what to prioritize and how to keep customers coming back. HME News: How has the pandemic changed online shopping? Cassi Price: Consumers have gotten used to some niceties that came up during the pandemic, such...

ATLANTA - The best way for HME providers to turn payers into allies is by focusing on the patient, says Kris Srinivasan, director of payer relations at McKesson. Here’s what Srinivasan, who hosted a session on improving payer relations at Medtrade East, has to say about achieving optimal care at reasonable costs. HME News: What’s a major do/don’t when talking to payers? Kris Srinivasan: A major don’t is starting the conversation with how much you pay for a medical supply...

ATLANTA – Organizers hosted the first Preview Night at Medtrade East at 4:30 on Monday to kick off show floor hours. The two-hour event, complete with food, drink and a live band, was a hit with exhibitors. “There was a good flow of traffic at Preview Night,” said Jason Howell, a regional sales manager for Stander, based in Utah. “Attendees were more business-oriented. Many of them said they would be back tomorrow. The people we saw were not seasoned Medtrade veterans, but...

ATLANTA - As a Medtrade veteran, Bruce Gehring knows the ins and outs of revenue cycles—both in and out of pandemics. HME News caught up with Gehring, senior vice president of business development at Allegiance Group, who will be co-hosting two sessions in Atlanta, about how COVID-19 changed, and is still shaping, billing and collection.    HME News: How has the pandemic impacted workflow processes and procedures?    Bruce Gehring: The interesting thing we saw from...

ATLANTA – With pandemic-induced virtual meetings dominating the past year-and-a-half, Medtrade East exhibitors are greatly looking forward to seeing “live” visitors at their booths during the trade show, Oct. 18-20 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.  “Even though our industry has done a tremendous job expanding our use of digital communications, , there is nothing that can replace in-person networking and the conversations that are held on the expo hall...

The HME industry’s largest trade show has been rebranded as Medtrade East to reflect geography instead of the time of year it is held. Following the July premier of Medtrade West in Phoenix, Medtrade East at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta Oct. 18-20 is being presented as a regional contrast rather than the previous emphasis on spring and fall.  “Many people unofficially called the Atlanta show ‘Medtrade East’,” show director York Schwab said about...

In keeping with the ongoing challenges caused by COVID-19 and its variants, the Medtrade East Education Advisory Board has included several seminars that deal with the virus-related issues providers are facing for the Oct. 18-20 educational sessions at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.  “Several of the programs we selected deal directly with COVID,” said EAB member Jeff Baird. “Other programs we selected focus on what we believe the key issues will be for suppliers...

ATLANTA - Pandemic or no pandemic, work from home is here to stay, which makes tracking productivity even more vital for providers to manage operations. HME News recently spoke to Medtrade East speakers, Jas Pannu, vice president of product management at Brightree, and Fadi Haddad, director of data and analytics at the company, about why productivity tracking matters and what to consider going forward.   HME News: What's the role of analytics and KPIs in tracking productivity?  Jas...