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In good repair

In good repair Provider addresses need for equipment servicing

OAK HARBOR, Ohio - When businesses in his area began selling home medical equipment—but not servicing it—Don Huffman revved up his repair skills and opened up shop.

“All the little drug stores and Wal-Mart and Kmart were selling these items and there was no one to repair them,” said Huffman, who opened Medi-quip here in May. “They'd say, 'We don't fix them, you have to send them back to the company.' People would be without their equipment for weeks. I got back into business to take care of those people.”

Huffman has repaired HME for more than a decade, first at another company, later opening his own business. After a brief break during which he did repairs at home, he now has a storefront on Main Street where he repairs lift chairs, electric and manual wheelchairs, scooters, oxygen concentrators, and nebulizers.

The most common items: scooters and power wheelchairs.

“The ones that take them down to the corner market or down to the river to go fishing—for people that want to get outside and couldn't any other way—those are the ones that need more repairs,” said Huffman.

He plans to get a billing number for Medicaid, which would also open the door to some insurance companies that require a Medicaid number; for now, customers pay cash.

He said HME has become more durable over the past decade. Most repairs, he said, are just everyday wear and tear, and replacing items like wheels and batteries.

Huffman says he enjoys helping people in his community, young and old alike.

“You're giving back to the people that have helped you all your life,” he said” HME

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