Reliable Medical invests in proactive approach to payer relations

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Connecting and building trusted relationships with payers is too often a reactive exercise, when it should be proactive, says Brendan Swift, the new vice president of payer relations at Reliable Medical.

“When and if an issue comes into play, it’s extremely important that you have foundational trust and connection built with your partner,” said Swift, whose previous experience includes 10 years within the complex rehab technology (CRT) and HME industry and with payers like Coventry, Aetna and Anthem. “When there’s a hot potato, everyone is so reactive. So, it must always be about how can we be extremely laser focused on communicating early and being proactive and focusing on building a strong relationship right from the start.”

Swift joined Reliable Medical with a focus on strengthening the company’s payer strategy and applying his “both-sides-of-the-aisle” experience to build strong and mutually beneficial partnerships. Here’s how he’s approaching the role and where he sees opportunity for growth.

Building long-standing payer partnerships

From Swift’s perspective, two core elements drive successful payer relationships: bring value to your partner, and back it up with a strong patient and employee focused culture.

A provider demonstrates value, he says, when they consistently deliver positive outcomes, meet or exceed patient and payer expectations for delivery and service, maintain high quality standards, and ensure strict compliance.

“They’re expecting us to be a premier provider, and we must deliver on that,” he said.

Culture underpins those expectations. For Reliable Medical and its clinical partners, that means conducting timely, appropriate evaluations and providing medically necessary equipment – even when that doesn’t mean the newest technology.

“This is engrained within the culture of Reliable Medical and the primary reason I chose to be a part of this team,” he said.

Viewing the payer as a partner, not a foe

Swift’s time on the payer side gives him insight into how they operate – whether it’s operations or network management – which can get overlooked by providers. This understanding, he says, allows for more strategic and more meaningful conversations.

“I can share that, ‘I’ve been in your seat; I understand your goals and your needs,’” he said. “It’s important to view them as true partners, as well. We want to be able to help them meet and exceed their goals.”

Expanding Reliable Medical’s payer strategy

Swift says what excites him most about Reliable Medical is the company’s service delivery and patient-focused culture, which provides the foundation required for growth into additional lines of business.

“Really, that’s what drove me to Reliable,” he said. “It’s not just the exciting opportunity to grow existing and new payer partnerships but more importantly, being able to be part of such a service-focused organization where, from the top down, the culture is always people first.”