‘Customer service was our foundation’: Doug Crana looks back as he hands off Consolidated Medical

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. - After 34 years at the helm of Consolidated Medical, a complex rehab technology (CRT) company based here, Doug Crana has his sights set on retirement. Here's what he had to say about how the industry has changed and where it’s headed.  

HME News: What went into your decision to sell Consolidated Medical to Rehab Medical? 

Doug Crana: I think, generally, in business, it’s a concept you aspire to. I’m at that point of my life, and I didn’t want to be one of those mom-and-pops that just had to close their doors. I didn't want to be one of those stats. It was a tough decision, but I’m staying on for six months to make sure it goes through seamlessly for my employees. I want to make sure they’re taken care of, and they understand how it’s going to work.  

HME: When your dad started Consolidated Medical in 1975, it was a full-line DME company. When and why did the company start specializing in CRT? 

Crana: Initially, we rode the wave up and down with Medicare, but the pivotal point was competitive bidding. It eroded mom-and-pops to the point where a lot of them went under. I had been really steadfast on staying diversified, but we chose not to participate in competitive bidding and that just really narrowed the field to complex rehab. 

HME: CRT, while it’s exempt from competitive bidding, has its own challenges. How have you made it work over the years? 

Crana: We’ve stayed small. We didn’t accept a lot of insurances – we picked and chose those that would allow us to maintain a good business. But the biggest foundation has been our customer service – that's what has carried us through all these years. 

HME: How will your team maintain that customer service as part of a larger company like Rehab Medical? 

Crana: They’re going to maintain our location and our staff – that's the key. The team will be able to carry on that customer service that we’ve been known for. I’m proud of my team for how they’ve handled this, and now a door has opened for them to have a unique opportunity to grow further.  

HME: Is it still possible to be a smaller company in CRT in the current environment? 

Crana: I do think it’s possible, and if I was 20 years younger, I’d be continuing to do what we’re doing. We’ve had a unique model that allowed us to compete with the big players and grow slowly, but we couldn’t scale to the point of significantly growing the business because we limited the insurances we accepted. As part of Rehab Medical, we’re going to see a tremendous increase in business, because they take more insurances. 

HME: What’s one challenge in the CRT industry that you wish were solved? 

Crana: Service. That is so key to this industry. And it’s problematic on both sides of the equation, for the patient and the provider. As a smaller company, our customer service was key and we were able to make a decision on, if we have to spend X amount of dollars or X amount of hours, we’re going to do it to make sure the patient gets what they need. On a larger scale, that’s a bigger problem. It’s an issue that’s being worked on, but it needs a lot more attention and money put toward it.