‘Don’t be that guy’: Bill Fredericks on advocacy that works

WASHINGTON – Bill Fredericks jumped into advocating for the home medical equipment (HME) industry more than 20 years ago when Massachusetts Medicaid was implementing cuts and he needed to learn what was going on – and what he could do about it.

“That's when I first found the Home Medical Equipment and Services association (HOMES) and Karyn Estrella (its former executive director), so I joined that immediately,” he said. “As the owner of a small company, I needed to find out exactly what was going on, not through newsletters or emails. I needed to be there to actually see it and what the reasoning was behind it.”

Fredericks, CEO of Allcare Medical Supply, was recently recognized with the 2026 Mal Mixon Legislative Award for his work on behalf of the industry at the AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference.

Fredericks spoke with HME News recently about his passion for advocacy and the importance of not being “that guy.”

HME News: How did your early success with MassHealth set you on the advocacy path?

Bill Fredericks: We got together a group of people and brought patients up to the state house in Massachusetts and told them how the cuts hurt us. They rescinded the cuts at the time, and it opened up a dialogue between MassHealth and HOMES that's continued to this day. We have a good relationship and any time that there's going to be changes coming up or they want opinions on things from our perspective, they call us first.

HME: How is relationship building key to successful advocacy work?

Fredericks: It’s absolutely critical. You don’t want to be that guy that only shows up when there’s a problem. You get to know all these people, even on a broader basis, and they get to know you personally through different conferences. We always invited the MassHealth people to the HOMES conference and then we would hang out afterwards, so they got to know us as people.

HME: You recently attended the AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference. Why is it important to be active on both a state and federal level?

Fredericks: I feel more comfortable staying local. We have a quarterly meeting so we're more in touch with each other on a regular basis. But the more I saw how decisions get made on the federal level and then they trickle down to the state level, I thought, well, I want to get involved with AAHomecare and know what's going on the federal level and how it’s going to affect my company and, ultimately, my patients.

HME: What did you learn from Karyn Estrella about advocating for HME?

Fredericks: Karyn was fearless and driven and there was really no room that she didn't feel comfortable in. That kind of taught me that you don't have to feel intimidated doing any of this. They're people just like us. There’s so many leaders in this industry and there's always a group of people that take the forefront and rise to the occasion. When I was up on the Hill this time, I saw some young guys in the industry that are doing it. I think that it bodes well for the industry to see that.