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Archive: September 2019


Smart Talk

Risk Management: Be proactive with rental equipment

September 30, 2019Adam Miller

A. It's a common practice for HME providers to rent equipment to their patients. The arrangement works out well, for the most part. The patient doesn't have to pay the full price of their device up front, and the provider gains a steady source of recurring revenue. It's win-win. Unfortunately, this arrangement exposes providers to certain risks that their insurance policy may not always cover.What happens, for example, if a patient passes away while in possession of your expensive equipment? Their...

Adam Miller, risk management, VGM Insurance


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Smart Talk

Human Resources: Obsess over customers

September 30, 2019Laizer Kornwasser

A. The culture you create and the employees you hire will determine if you will be Kodak or Amazon.George Eastman, Kodak's founder, realized the need to embrace disruption outweighed his concern of failure. He did this twice, 1) giving up a profitable dry-plate business to move to film and 2) investing in an inferior color film product.Kodak didn't need to fail. It was their culture and decision making that determined their fate. Executives were afraid to fail. Kodak wasn't surprised by the...

CareCentrix, Human Resources (HR), Laizer Kornwasser


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Smart Talk

Financial outsourcing: Check your business pulse

September 30, 2019Katherine Kinley

A. When was the last time you based strategic business decisions on reliable, quantifiable financial data that you were confident in? If you are not making data-driven decisions daily, outsourcing this critical function is the fastest way to make a gap a point of strength.After 10 years of working with healthcare businesses—from assessing financial performance for credit worthiness to equipping them with finance/accounting horsepower—I continuously come across decision-makers who lack...

Financial Outsourcing, Katherine Kinley, Paro


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Smart Talk

Retail: Use the right ingredients

September 30, 2019Kamal Haddad

A. There is a lot of information available in this industry about expanding retail sales of HME products to your patients. You see it in many publications, at Medtrade, at regional or state association meeting as well as manufacturer sponsored events.  While the information provided is useful and accurate when it comes to physical merchandising and sales methodology, It falls short when it comes to addressing the “retail apocalypse” by re-emphasizing tradition retail models. Amazon...

Health Mobius, Kamal Haddad, Retail


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Medtrade Show Daily

Speaker spotlight: Culture comes from leadership

September 30, 2019Tracy Orzel

ATLANTA - Every company has a culture, whether they realize it or not, and those with stronger cultures are typically better performers, says Sharon Bock, director of marketing at Allegiance Group. HME News recently spoke to Bock and Bruce Gehring, senior vice president of business development at Allegiance, who are co-hosting a session at Medtrade called “Creating a Culture to Improve Collections" about the different types of culture and how they can be improved.HME News: So what exactly is...

Allegiance Group, Medtrade 2019


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Medtrade Show Daily

Five insider tips for Medtrade

September 30, 2019Guest Commentary

ATLANTA - Whether you're a first time Medtrade attendee or a show veteran, it's tempting to wing it and wander the show floor without a plan. However, when this year's Medtrade convenes at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Oct 21-23, 2019, it's best to prepare. Leave room for flexibility, but don't get off the plane (or out of the car) without thinking about which exhibitors you want to see, what product categories you covet, and what extra events might maximize your precious time.Successful...

Home Medical Equipment, Medtrade 2019


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Medtrade Show Daily

Exhibitors emphasize health, strength

September 30, 2019John Andrews

ATLANTA — Given that Medtrade is an exposition for healthcare providers, it seems natural that health and strength would be predominant themes among exhibitors in 2019. For the industry's purposes, these terms refer to the fiscal and operational outlook for HME companies, as well as determined advocacy on Capitol Hill.For instance, at Irving, Texas-based McKesson, the Medtrade booth theme is “Stronger Together,” which emphasizes the significance of unity within the industry, said...

Caire, Compass Health, Home Medical Equipment, McKesson, Medtrade 2019


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Business Development

'Aging in place' trend drives home accessibility

September 30, 2019John Andrews

Baby boomers wanting to stay at home despite mobility limitations is the key driver in the home accessibility market, specialists in the field say. The desire among boomers to avoid assisted living or skilled nursing facilities is strong and they are willing to pay for modifications that allow them to remain at home and “age in place.”Because HME providers serve these potential clients as mobility patients, they are in a great position to handle these home modification services as a business...

Harmar, Home Accessibility, Prairie View Industries


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Specialty Providers

Serial entrepreneurs: Stevens, Burns make another run at supplies

September 30, 2019Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor

BUFORD, Ga. - Having already built one successful business, the team behind UroStat Healthcare hopes to repeat their winning formula for a second time.Craig Stevens, UroStat's CEO, and Bert Burns, part owner, previously worked together at UroMed, which Burns founded in 1996 and sold to AssuraMed in early 2014. At the time of its sale, UroMed served 7,000 patients in 48 states.UroStat, which marked its first year in business in July, offers catheters, ostomy and incontinence supplies, and accepts...

Catheters, Home medical supplies, UroStat Healthcare


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Mobility

NRRTS registrant 'kickstarts' interest in Canada

September 30, 2019Liz Beaulieu, Editor

REGINA, Saskatchewan - Jason Kelln, the first NRRTS CRTS in Canada, gave a poster presentation at the recent Canadian Seating and Mobility Conference in Toronto on the merits of certification in complex rehab.Kelln, the sales manager for PrairieHeart Mobility based here, is one of just 28 RESNA ATPs in the country and is working to become just the fourth SMS there.“When I started to work on the presentation, I was just shocked how few people are certified,” he said. “To me, we're...

Complex Rehab, NRRTS, RESNA


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